Isle of the Damned (Discontinued: Being Rewritten)
by The Celestial Sky Dragon
Summary: Despair has run rampant across the world. As a result of the Tragedy, many Killing Games have sprouted across the world. One in a Space Station, One on the Moon, and another in an Amusement Park. This however is not the tale of one of those games. This is the tale of the 1st Hora Island Killing Game, through the eyes of a survivor. [This is an official Legacy of Despair Spinoff]
1. PrologueOC Page

**Prologue**

**The Tragedy caused by Ultimate Despair had left the world in a rather sorry state. It was barely picking itself up when a new series of events had taken it by storm. **

**Following the events of Hope's Peak Academy, and the deaths of the Ultimates that lied within, several more games sprouted up around the world. It was thought that despair was finally being stamped out.**

**But they were wrong. Despair is an entity that isn't easily defeated, something that will warp and twist your mind, until you are bent by it, or killed by it.**

**Three killing games have taken place, One on the Horizon Space Station, that ended in the death of the mastermind, Hiyoko Saionji, and the survival of 6 Ultimate students. **

**One located on the Moon, in the Sea of Tranquility. Survivors from Horizon were put in a second game, where 24 others had been forced to survive.**

**The most recent, was one that took place in an Amusement Park, one called Kuma Kuma Land. A giant floating island, that kept its participants trapped.**

**However at the same time, another game was taken place. One orchestrated by the Ultimate Biologist, Jibo Momota. In his search for the Ultimate specimen, he had taken over an abandoned island in the Pacific. Site of a battle during the Second World War. It was a hub for supernatural activity, a place that was once kept secret, by the infamous SCP Foundation. Now, this island is the site of the 3****rd**** Killing Game, the House of Horrors.**

**However, this story will not be about those subjects. It will be a window into the past, through the eyes of a young man, who survived the first killing game on this bloody ground. Hora Island still holds its secrets from the students within the mansion. What horrors lie on the island? Why is it so dangerous to traverse at night? What lies beyond the safety of the mansion?**

**This is the story of one survivor. A young man who still has hope within him, he keeps it alive, despite his friends being dead. This is the story of Daisuke Del Rio, and how he, Shiro Hayashi and Mackenzie Alaelstar survived the first killing game on Hora Island. How they became the twisted servants that now Execute and Paint the horrible deaths of the students locked within the House of Horrors.**

**This is the story, of how one young man, managed to lose, and regain his hope. Through the despair and horrors of this petri dish of supernatural entities and despair.**

**This is the Isle of the Damned, I hope everyone has their silver tickets in hand. Once you are on it, you aren't leaving it alive...**

**Accepted OC's (Will be updated as the last ones get added)**

**-As of March 2nd 2019, the cast has been updated and increased. I have also changed the Sumission Close Date to May 15th, the original date of the first chapter. I have moved the start date to June 1st. Will continue updating as I recieve applications.**

**-As of May 5th 2019, the cast of Isle of the Damned has been finalized, we can now progress to phase two. See you all there, upupupupu!**

**#1**

**Name: **Daisuke Del Rio

**Creator: **CelestialSkyDragon

**Nickname: **Dais

**Gender: **Male

**Age: **21

**Date of Birth: **June 20th

**Home country: **Japan/Spain (He was born in Barcelona and raised in Tokyo)

**Talent: **Ultimate Storyteller/Super High School Level Storyteller

**Sexuality: **Straight

**Blood Type: **A+

**Appearance: **Daisuke is a tall young man, standing at 5 feet 10 inches in height. He has smooth black hair, that reaches down to his shoulders. He has caramel colored skin, thin brows and bright cerulean eyes. He has a small nose and medium-sized lips.

**Hair color/style: **Neck length Black Hair

**Eye Color: **Cerulean Blue

**Skin Tone:** Caramel Tan

**Body Type: **Lean and Fit

**Birthmarks, scars or tattoos:** He has a Rose Bloom tattoo on his left forearm.

(From being a POW): He has a visible scar over his left eye, trailing down to his chin. He also has scars on his wrists from the shackles digging into his wrists. He has a few scars across his chest and legs as well. (Gained during the Second Game from being a Prisoner, I assume)

**Height: **5 feet 10 inches

**Weight:**145LBS

**Outfits****: **Daisuke normally wears a long sleeved white dress shirt, with rolled up sleeves. Over it, he wears a leather vest, which has his last name stitched to it, along with his Class Number (That being Class 77B, but you can change it to whatever you need to). He wears a pair of black skinny jeans, held up by a studded belt, with silver studs on it, and is always seen wearing a pair of knee high combat boots. He also has a messenger bag, slung over his shoulder containing his Storybook, which is a handmade, leather bound book, containing each story he has written or told in his life. He is always seen with it.

**Jewelry/Acessories: **He wears a golden pendant around his neck, in the shape of a heart. It contains pictures of his mother Maria and his little sister Erika. He also has a pin which he got from Hope's Peak Academy, to commemorate his class.

**#2**

**Name: **Charlotte Loire

**Creator:** CelestialSkyDragon

**Nickname: **Charlie

**Gender: **Female

**Age: **19

**Date of Birth: **November 16th

**Home country: **Anchorage Alaska, United States of America

**Talent: **Ultimate Siren (Wanted to be the Ultimate Singer)

**Sexuality: **Straight

**Blood Type: **A

**Appearance: **Charlotte is a beautiful young woman, tall and a bit busty. She has lightly tanned skin, bright, aquamarine colored eyes and soft pink scales on her cheekbones. She has long pink hair that falls down to her waist, and is kept mostly straight. She stands at about five feet nine inches in height. She also has some pink scales on her outer thighs, pink fins growing out of both her wrists, pink and gold in color, as well as gills that are on her sides, over her ribcage. She has webbed hands, her fingers being joined by a light pink film that exudes a slimy substance to keep her scales moist. (Ew)

**Hair color/style:**Waist length, wavy pink hair.

**Eye Color: **Aquamarine

**Skin Tone:** Light Tan

**Body Type: **Hourglass Figure (D-cup bust)

**Birthmarks, scars or tattoos: **No visible scars (Has scales around her cheekbones, and outer thighs. She has scales growing out of her wrists, and her hands are webbed)

**Height:**5 feet 9 inches

**Weight:**132LBS

**Outfits****: **A black tube top, with white frills on the edges. She wears a matching skirt, black in color with several layers, reaching down to her knees Her legs were covered by a pair of long black boots

**Jewelry/Accessories: **A silver chained necklace, with a water drop shaped charm. A large white bow which she wears on the back of her head.

**#3**

**Full Name: **Shiro Hayashi

**Creator: **Altomi

**Gender: **Female (You already know and if you don't...well you'll be surprised)

**Age: **17

**Birthday: **April 18th

**Nationality: **Japanese

**Talent: **Ultimate Executioner

**Sexuality: **Bisexual

**Blood Type: **O-

**Appearance: **Shiro is a rather short girl, standing around five feet, six inches in height. She wears a rather odd ensemble, she wears a white short sleeved button-down shirt, with golden accents. Each accent formed a different shape, flowers and even butterflies. The shirt was tucked into a blue layered skirt, with frills and white embroidery on the hem. Over her shirt, she was wearing an oversized blue sleeveless jacket, with a hood. The jacket bore a golden zipper, gold pocket linings and other small accents. Thigh high socks adorned her legs, and she wore pastel blue sneakers with golden laces. She finished her look with dark blue leg warmers.

**Hair Style/Length: **The top layer of Shiro's hair is platinum in color, nearing white. She wears long light blue extensions on the side of her head, tied into a ponytail.

**Make Up: **She wears an egregious amount of eye shadow around her eyes, a bright white in color. Small dots adorned her face, mostly around her cheeks. Light blue lipstick adorned her lips, giving them a brilliant glow.

**Eye Color: **Golden

**Skin Tone: **Tanned

**Body Type: **Petite and Slim

**Height:** 5'6"

**Weight:****120lbs** **  
**

**Normal Clothing:**A white short-sleeved button-down shirt with gold accents tucked into a tan skirt. An oversized blue and white sleeveless hooded jacket with a gold zipper and plaid lining. White thigh-high socks. Pastel blue sneakers with gold laces, with a darker blue pair of legwarmers worn over top.

**Accessories:** A dark blue, white, and gold ribbon used to tie back the ponytail.  
A multitude of colorful bracelets and scrunchies worn on both arms.  
A pastel blue with gold and white striped tie around the neck.

**#4**

**Name: **Mackenzie Alaestar

**Creator: **UltimateOtakuEl  
**  
Gender:**Female

**Age: **17

**Birthday: **April 22nd

**Nationality: **Europe

**Talent: **Ultimate Painter

**Sexuality: **Straight

**Blood Type: **O+

**(Appearance)**

**Hair Color: **Platinum blonde, pink colored streaks

**Hair Style/Length: **Waist-length, half up  
**  
Eye Color:**Violet

**Skin Tone: **Porcelain

**Body Type: **Hourglass

**Scars,Tattoos or Birthmarks: **Right arm has multiple scars (burns, cuts, etc.), covered by bandages and long sleeves (Gained on Hora Island)

**Height: **4 feet 9 inches

**Weight: **90 lb

**Normal Clothing: **Long-sleeved pale green shirt with paint splotches; grey trousers; grey shoes

**Exercise Clothing: **Long-sleeved white shirt (also with a bit of paint on it); grey shorts; grey shoes

**Sleepwear: **Long-sleeved purple shirt; matching purple trousers  
**  
Accessories :**Green ribbon in hair; bandages on right arm

**#5**

**Full Name: **Riku Ito

**Creator: **Birbddha

**Gender: **Male

**Age: **18

**Birthday: **December 8

**Nationality: **Japanese

**Talent: **Ultimate Neko (wanted to be Ultimate Fandubber initially and may refer to himself as such.)

**Sexuality: **Bi

**Blood Type: **O

**Hair Color: **Dark Purple

**Hair Style/Length: **Long, wavy, goes down to neck. Has a long bang covering one of his eyes Has what can only be described as a wispy ahoge. Has cat-like ears colored the same as his hair.

**Eye Color: **Gold

**Skin Tone: **Light

**Body Type: **Thin skinny build. Has a long purple cat tail, cat ears and two cat-like fangs.

**Scars,Tattoos or Birthmarks:** None

**Height: **5'6

**Weight: **120LBS

**Normal Clothing: **Wears a black t-shirt with a gold, stylized Phoenix on it and a white hoodie with gold and black accents. Wears it unzipped and it trails him like a cloak. Also has dark grey sweatpants

**Exercise Clothing: **While he doesn't exercise often, when he does he removes the hoodie, tends to pull up pant legs.

**Sleepwear: **Sleeps in various states of undress, usually sleeping either nude or with only his boxers on. Tends to sleep with more clothes on around others.

**Accessories: **None

**#6**

**Name**: Isabella Swan

**Creator**: ShinyOshwot

**Gender**: Female

**Nationality****: **American (Hispanic)

**Talent****: **Shapshifter

**Sexuality****: **bisexual **  
**

**Blood Type: **AB+

**Hair Color: **Crimson

**Style:** Hime-cut

**Eye Color: **changes color every 3 seconds

**Skin Tone:** Light tan

**Body Shape: **Hourglass

**Scars: **Has a large stylized dragon tattoo on her shoulder blade.

**Height: **5'4''

**Weight: **120LBS

**Normal Clothing: **black knee length dress decorated with sapphires in the shape of a wolf pack running up the dress, with 1/2 inch heels

**Jewelry/Accessories: **A crimson dragon earring in her right ear

**#7  
**

**Full Name: **Nyx Flurry Layla

**Creator: **PokemanSuperAllStar

**Gender:** Female

**Age: **17

**Birthday: **July 3rd

**Nationality: **Half extraterrestrial Half american

**Talent: **Ultimate Halfling

**Sexuality: **heterosexual

**Blood Type: **A

**(Appearance)**

**Hair Color: **Onyx with crimson highlights

**Hair Style/Length: **medium and wavy shag with highlightes ends

**Eye Color: **eye ball color is amber and her actual eye color is rose.

**Skin Tone: **her skin color is a greyish blue

**Body Type: **she has an hour glass like figure with a slightly larger than normal busom and nice hips. She looks like an amazonian woman, fit and beautiful.

**Scars,Tattoos or Birthmarks: **She has many small scars over her arms, legs thighs, and stomach. She also has on her stomach she has a weird symbol that looks like a dount but on the left side of it it has like tentacles coming out of it and they look pointed and is colored red.

**Height: **6 feet even

**Weight: **150

**Normal Clothing: **Nyx wears a Yellow with Pink Polka Dot Casual Polyester Collar Long Sleeve Blouses, for her lower clothes she wears some Light Grey Hanes Women's Jersey Pocket Shorts. For her shoes and socks she wears some pink and white stripped stockings and some Ballerina Pink Classic Clog Crocs.

**Exercise Clothing: **Nyx wears a purple long sleeve shirt that says in bold words "aliens" and some grey workout sweats that have the same symbol on her stomach on the side of it. She is also barefoot.

**Sleepwear: **she wears some small pink night gown that is a bit revealing. She also wears her pink and white stripped stockings to bed. She also wears a cute looking black sleeping mask that has a stars all over the mask, it looks like a small solar system on it.

**Accessories: **she has some golden rings around her wrist that secure her white gloves that help her use her projection powers. She also keeps a huge grey duffle bag filled to the brim with scifi movies and stuff for pranks and a book for the stories she writes.

**#8**

**Full Name:** Jose Muerto

**Creator: **Jeptwin

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 17

**Birthday:** November 1

**Nationality:** Mexican

**Talent:** Ultimate Demon

**Sexuality:** Gay

**Blood Type:** N/A (As a Demon, he cannot give nor take blood, since while he has a human avatar due to his magic, for all intents and purposes he is still very much a Demon. His blood is pretty liquid obsidian.)

**Hair Color:** Black

**Hair Style/Length:** Combed up and to the left, short length with medium bangs waxed up in the front, with two obsidian ram-like horns sticking out of his skull

**Eye Color:** Gold

**Skin Tone: **Tanned light brown, except for his forearms and hands, which are pitch black, and his tail, which is also black

**Body Type:** Swimmer's build

Scars,Tattoos or Birthmarks: Circular scars around the base of his horns, scars where the black skin on his arms stops in jagged cuts, circular scar at base of his tail, scar going diagonally across his face and right eye (He can still see perfectly fine, however), slash scars going across his stomach, barbed whip marks on his back.

**Height:** 5'10 discounting horns. Including: 6'4

**Weight:** 164 lbs

**Normal Clothing**: He wears a dark green polo shirt and beige khaki shorts with a navy belt, and navy boat shoes. However, to hide his demonic features, he wears a large hooded sweatshirt to cover his arms and horns, and stuffs his tail in the sweatshirt as well.

**Exercise Clothing:** Black sport shorts and orange lycra t-shirt.

**Sleepwear: ****Nothing.** He gets too hot otherwise.

**Accessories: **A chrome watch with a crystal face he got from his father.**  
**

**#9**

**Full Name: **Seisha Dekishi

**Creator:** PettyPunk

**Gender: **Male

**Age**: ?

**Birthday:** July 22nd

**Nationality: **Japanese

**Talent**: Samebito

**Blood Type:** O-

(Appearance)

**Hair Color:** Black with ruby red streaks

**Hair Style/Length:** Shoulder-length and free flowing in seaweed like strands

**Eye Color:** Emerald Green

**Skin Tone:** Grey skin common for sharks, but the tip of his dorsal fin, end of his tail, wrists, hands, ankles, and feet have an inky black coloration. Similar to a blacktip reef shark.

**Body Type:** Fantastic muscle tone and is very top heavy. He has a tail that starts at his waist and reaches down about two and a half feet. His fingers and toes end in claws. He only has one row of teeth but they do grow back if he loses them.

**Scars,Tattoos or Birthmarks:** None

**Height:** 7'5"

**Weight:** 315 lbs

**Normal Clothing:** A large knee-length white hospital gown. A navy blue bath robe that also reaches his knees. Underneath is a pair of dark grey swim trunks with ruby red stripes up the side. Accessories: A necklace that worn wrapped around his left wrist since it can't fit around his neck is a black cord the has a large ruby gem. A small stuffed shark with the "Mr. Bitey" written on the tag. He keeps the plushie in the front pocket of the robe.

**#10  
**

**Full Name: **Lars Weyer

**Creator:** RazTheGiant

**Gender: **Male

**Age: **16

**Birthday: **June 7th

**Nationality: **Dutch

**Talent: **Ultimate Demonologist.

**Sexuality: **Hetero

**Blood Type: **B-

**(Appearance)**

**Hair Color: **Ochre

**Hair Style/Length: **A crew cut fade

**Eye Color: **Orange

**Skin Tone: **Caucasian

**Body Type: **fairly scrawny though with decent muscle tone

**Scars, Tattoos or Birthmarks: **The word 'KING' tattooed in gold on the sides of his head. A crimson pentagram tattoo on the backs of both of his hands

**Height: **5'06"

**Weight: **165 pounds

**Normal Clothing: **A black leather jacket that has several white straps and belt loops hanging off the sleeves (akin to a straight jacket) worn open. A dark grey tank top that has a golden crown decal on it. Black leather motorcycle pants with similar white straps as the jacket. Dark grey boots with studs on the toes.

**Accessories: **A large brown leather bound journal that has a "holster" attached to his hip to keep it safe. An over the shoulder satchel that is filled with items Lars needs for rituals. An ornate dagger that in a scabbard attached to his right thigh.

**#11  
**

**Full Name**: Diego Garcia

**Creator:** TJMike

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 17

**Birthday:** November 2nd

**Nationality:** Mexican

**Talent:** Ultimate Eldritch (Hastur variant)

**Sexuality:** Heterosexual

**Blood Type:** O- (formerly) Incompatible (current). His blood now looks like a black, thick liquid.

**Hair Color:** Dark Brunette (original), Mostly dark red dyed with a few streaks of his natural hair color (currently)

**Hair Style/Length:** Short

**Eye Color:** Light Brown

**Skin Tone:** Light tanned.

**Body Type:** Fit complexion. Muscular yet somewhat lean frame.

**Scars,Tattoos or Birthmarks:** A slight, barely noticeable scar that runs horizontally just below his left eye. He also has a tattoo of the Elder Sign on the back of his right hand (the star shaped version) However, both of these appear to be quite recently. Also, it appears that an increasing itching feeling happens every once in a while to his tattooed hand. It's clear the person who did this wasn't the Ultimate Tattoo Artist at all…

**Height: **165 cm/5 feet 4 inches

**Weight:** 55 kg/121LBS

**Normal Clothing:** Diego wears a white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. On top of that, a bright yellow cape covers his back reaching his legs. He also wears light brown caqui pants as well as black dress shoes.

**Exercise Clothing:** A pair of deep blue shorts, white t-shirt and black tennis will do for Diego while he works out.

**Sleepwear:** Diego sleeps with no shirt and barefooted. However, he does wear dark gray pajama pants.

**Accessories:** A necklace with the branched version of the Elder Sign with a black chain around his neck. It begins to bother him after a while, as he begins to experience some burning sensation on his neck and chest…

**#12  
**

**Full Name:** Kanemoto Mizuki

**Gender:** Female

**Creator:** MudkipOfDespair

**Age:** 19

**Birthday:** February 27th

**Nationality:** Japanese

**Talent:** Ultimate Pokemon Trainer

Sexuality: Bisexual

**Blood Type:** O

(Appearance)

**Hair Color:** Black

**Hair Style/Length:** Kanemoto has long hair tied into a single ponytail that runs down to the middle of her back.

**Eye Color:** Brown

**Skin Tone:** Fair

**Body Type:** Kanemoto has a rather average body type, though she is more on the athletic size. Her breasts are also on the larger side, with about a D cup.

**Scars,Tattoos or Birthmarks:** None

**Height:** 5'7"

**Weight:** 108 lbs.

**Normal Clothing:** Her normal attire consists of a basic blue tee shirt worn under a gray cardigan, with a pair of knee-length black shorts.

**Exercise Clothing:** When doing exercise, she'll often quickly stuff her cardigan into her satchel, but otherwise her outfit remains unchanged.

**Sleepwear:** Embarrassingly, she sleeps in a Pikachu onesie.

**Accessories:** She carries around a rather large brown satchel, in which she stores her "poke balls" as well as some rations and medicine for her pokemon, leaving space for her cardigan if need be. She is also wearing a simple black baseball cap, with a white pokeball logo on the front.

**#13  
**

**Full Name: **Haruna Shirai

**Creator:** Prince PokePersona

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 19 years old

**Birthday:** May 9th

**Nationality:** Japanese

**Talent:** Hostess

**Sexuality:** Straight

**Blood Type:** O+

(Appearance)

**Hair Color:** Dark Coral Peach

**Hair Style/Length:** Long hair that ends at her chest and is fashioned into swirling pigtail ringlets with side swept bangs.

**Eye Color:** Sky Blue

**Skin Tone:** Fair White

**Body Type:** A svelte hourglass figure with a D cup sized chest.

**Scars, Tattoos or Birthmarks**: A small star shaped birthmark on right forearm.

**Height:** 5ft. 5inc. tall

**Weight**: 110lbs.

**Normal Clothing:** A dark blue bouffant dress with a dark orange ribbon sash and pink ribbon on the back of the sash with ribbon tails, a flared out pinkish orange skirt with white sparkles that ends at her knees, white stockings, dark blue cone heels with pink bows on the ankle straps.

**Exercise Clothing:** A bright blue vest top with pink flowers patterned all over, grey yoga pants and pink and orange running shoes with white socks.

**Sleepwear:** A silk orange baby doll dress that ends just above her knees with black ribbons on the skirt and fuzzy white bunny slippers.

**Accessories:** A silver crystal sparkle vine petal blossom headband in her hair just above her fringe, a white pearl bracelet with a pink butterfly charm on her left wrist, a rose gold orange gem bangle around her right wrist and a diamond necklace around her neck with a diamond encrusted swan pendant with a blue gem in the center.

**#14 **

**Full Name:** Eris Stone

**Creator:** WinterSmith

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 19

**Birthday:** April 30th

**Nationality:** Greek

**Talent:** Ultimate Medusa

**Sexuality:** Straight

**Blood Type**: AB+

**Hair Color:** N/A(used to be dark-brown/black)

**Hair Style/Length:** Green snakes that extend down to her shoulders(tend to move)

**Eye Color:** Icy-Gray(turn neon blue when using power)

**Skin Tone:** pale, slightly green tint

**Body Type:** curvy and athletically built

**Scars, Tattoos or Birthmarks:** skin has become scaly

**Height:** 6'0

**Weight:** 140 lbs

**Normal Clothing:** a dark-green leather jacket(black t-shirt underneath) and matching faux-leather pants and actual leather boots(knee-length with dark-gray laces) with thick one-inch heels

**Exercise Clothing:** black sweats and grey sneakers

**Sleepwear:** a long orange nightgown (her sister's picked it out for her)

**Accessories:** A red bandana that she sometimes wears one her snakes, and large black sunglasses. Found hanging around her neck when not in use. Also wears a locket under her shirt containing pictures of her sisters.

**#15 **

**Full Name: **Mariana Núnez

**Creator:** NSPunny

**Gender: **Female

**Age: **17

**Birthday: **February 28th

**Nationality: **Colombian

**Talent: **Ultimate Manakete

**Sexuality: **Bisexual

**Blood Type: **AB-

**Hair Color: **Naturally Black but is dyed a dark red color

**Hair Style/Length: **She has hair that goes down to her mid back with a slight upward curl at the end.  
**  
Eye Color:** Dark Green

**Skin Tone: **Slightly tanned skin tone

**Body Type: **Athletically built with noticeable muscles in her biceps and legs. She has a slightly larger than average breasts.

**Scars, Tattoos or Birthmarks: **She has a tattoo of a knife on her right bicep that is a symbol from her gang.

**Height: **6 feet 1 inch

**Weight: **140lbs

**Dragon Form: **Her dragon form is 8 feet long from head to tail and has a wingspan of 10 feet. Her dragon form is quadrupedal (on all fours) The scales on her back are bright red and are strong enough to stop bullets. Her stomach area has tan scales that, while weaker than her back scales, are still strong enough to take sword strikes like they are nothing. She has sharp white teeth and black claws on her feet. While in dragon form she can fly and breath devastating fire. Transforming between human and dragon form doesn't cause Mariana any pain (unlike Victoria and Brooke). Lastly, when she is in dragon form she slowly looses her mind (at a very slow rate though) but the effects temporarily stop when she is in human form.

**Normal Clothing: **Damaged and worn white t-shirt under a black leather jacket. She wears (naturally) ripped jean shorts for her bottom and wears old black shoes on her feet.  
**  
Exercise Clothing:**Same as normal but she ditches the jacket.  
**  
Sleepwear:**She wears a black bra and underwear.

**Accessories: **She got this accessory from the experiments. She wears golden chain necklace with a light blue spherical stone in the middle. This stone is her dragon stone.

**#16 **  
**  
Full Name:**Bethany Yonaga**  
**

**Title: **The Oracle of Atua**  
**

**Creator: **Magus1108

**Gender:** Female**  
**

**Age:** 15**  
**

**Birthday:** February 29th**  
**

**Nationality:** Kuikawan (Kuikawa Island/Atua Island)**  
**

**Talent:** Ultimate Pele (Volcano Goddess)**  
**

**Sexuality:** Lesbian**  
**

**Blood Type:** AB+

**Hair Color: **Pale, platinum blonde hair that almost looks white. However with her transformation, her hair is now prone to changing color as well. The angrier she gets, the yellower her hair gets, until it almost resembles the color of a lit candle-fire. **  
**

**HairStyle/Length:**Bethany has short, shoulder length hair that she styles into a cute looking bob cut. However, when she gets angry, her hair starts to stand on its end and flails and flickers around of its own will, like an active flame.**  
**

**EyeColor:** Her eyes used to a cool, colorful green. Since her transformation though, her eye color switched to a vibrant hot red. **  
**

**SkinTone: **A pleasant dark brown, as is natural for the people of her island. However, due to her transformation, her skin now breaks out into red blotches whenever she gets angry and incensed. If she's absolutely furious, Bethany's skin will have fully transformed to a bright, crimson red. **  
**

**BodyType:** Bethany has a somewhat athletic build, at least when it comes to her legs. She loves to swim, and she's been swimming her whole life practically, giving her more of a swimmer's build than anything else. If her body is overly weighed in one area, though, it would definitely be her breasts. In contrast to her sister, Bethany is more well-endowed, boasting a D-Cup sized chest. She's not particularly sensitive or embarrassed about her chest or anything, though she has enjoyed some good-natured ribbing over it in the past. **  
**

**Scars,Tattoos or Birthmarks :**Bethany does have a tribal tattoo that covers the length of her left arm: it is a stylized retelling of how Atua created the world and the people in it. Other people might say it's just a bunch of incomprehensible markings and shapes, but that isn't true at all!**  
**

**Height:**5 '3**  
**

**Weight:** 106LBS**  
**

**Normal Clothing:**Bethany wears a modest looking bikini, a dark blue top that sufficiently covers her breasts, and a dark blue pair of bikini bottoms. Over her bikini bottoms, she wears a multi-colored and patterned sarong, that reaches from her waist all the way down to her ankles. She typically goes barefoot as well, and only wears shoes when going over rocky terrain.**  
**

**ExerciseClothing: **When she's looking to exercise, especially swimming, Bethany usually just takes off her sarong and goes out in just her bikini.  
Sleepwear: Bethany typically doesn't wear anything when she goes to sleep. If she's around more sensitive company though, she'll consent to wearing her bikini bottoms to bed. And nothing else.**  
**

**Accessories: **Bethany doesn't have a lot in the way of accessories. She does wear a gold locket around her neck, with a picture of her family, including her sister Angie, inside. She also has her trusty guitar, which she's named Eddie. She's had it since she was ten years old, and loves her well-used guitar dearly.

**#17 Name:** Miyaki Hanao**  
**

**Creator: **Psychochiken

**Gender: **Female

**Age: **17

**Birthday: **June 5th

**Nationality: **Japanese

**Talent: **Ultimate Circus Performer

**Height: **5 feet 3 inches

**Weight: **127LBS

**Blood Type: **Ab-

**Skin Tone: **Lightly Tanned

**Body Type:** Small and Slender

**Eye Color:** Blue

**Hair Color: **Blonde

**Hair Style: **Side Ponytail, hangs down to her waist

**Birthmarks, Tattoos, Scars: **Miyaki has a slash across her throat along with a few stitch marks. She also has a few scars and stich marks on her arms. One of her legs has also been replaced with a bionic prosthetic, which is black and white in color.

**Outfit: **Miyaki wears a violet leotard under a short sleeved blue jacket, usually left open. She wears a lengthy blue skirt with circus prints on the fabric. She also wears a pair of matching blue heeld slippers on her feet.

**#18 **

**Full Name:** Dalila 'Lila' Wekesa

**Creator:** Abitat Eco

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 18

**Birthday:** 20th March

**Nationality:** Eastern African

**Talent:** Ultimate Dryad (She had hoped to become the Ultimate Agriculturist)

**Sexuality:** Heterosexual

**Blood Type:** AB

**Hair Color:** Dark forest green with various shades of lighter green streaked throughout her partings to provide contrast and a variety of colour to her tresses. The pigments actually contain traces of chlorophyll within them to enable her to be able to photosynthesise, since her hair strands are actually very delicate plant vines made to mimic her hair.

**Hair Style/Length:** Dalila's hair is rather long, falling to a little way above her waist in smooth and subtle waves. The tips of her hair may be a slightly wispy at the ends, but the style is not particularly untidy, just maybe a little bit windswept if she has been exposed to the elements for a prolonged period of time. One long and thin vine protrudes from the centre of her partings to curl exaggeratedly like a tendril to the left side of her face, hanging above her forehead. Two long vine strands reaching to the level of her chest hang symmetrically on either side of her face in front of her pointed elven-like ears, framing her subtly rounded face. Dalila also has a fringe spanning across her forehead, cut slightly slanted to the right. Two sections of her hair have also been woven together into two identical plaits and secured with a small band behind her head. There are a few subtle shades of chestnut brown interwoven within her tresses too, which was Dalila's former hair colour.

**Eye Color:** Her eyes are a bright brown, the shade resembling forest wood, rather fittingly. Her eyes are soft and kind, almond shaped with subtle eyelashes and thin eyebrows the same shade as her hair, which are neither droopy nor raised, just sitting in a neutral position.

**Skin Tone:** Dalila's complexion is a light leafy green, a little darker than turquoise and makes a nice match with her hair. Previously, she used to be more darkly tanned.

**Body Type:** Dalila is of an average height for her age, although slightly underweight given the struggle for sufficient nourishment in her homeland. Her hips are slightly curved and she has some decent muscle tone and hidden strength in her legs and arms despite her slightly skinny figure, gained through helping to labour in the fields at home. Her chest is decently sized, sitting at a comfortable C-cup and her face is a soft subtly rounded shape. Her nose is sleek and elven, with pointed ears and a nice pair of soft peace coloured lips often spread into a welcoming and comforting smile.

**Scars, Tattoos or Birthmarks:** Dalila doesn't have any particularly noticeable scars on her figure, just the odd wear and tear with a callous or two from her work. However, she does have a burn mark on her shoulder blade and over her left eye (which is blinded) but has since been filled in by a darker green pigment. She has no tattoos and one small birthmark on her left wrist shaped like the sun.

**Height:** 5.7 ft

**Weight:** 122 lbs

**Normal Clothing:** Dalila now wears a light green leafy dress which reaches to just above her knees, slightly flared to the sides and made up of cotton covered in various layers of leaves, varying in size, shape and shade, all which seem to have been attached neatly. This is accompanied with smooth sleeves that reach to just below her elbow and a darker green shawl which covers her shoulders and is secured at the centre by a brooch in the shape of a silver and emerald butterfly. Her feet are bare and besides her accessories, this is all she chooses to wear.

**Exercise Clothing:** To exercise, Dalila might choose something a little more modern and practical: a short sleeved pale red t-shirt with a rounded neck and the cute imprint of a zebra in the centre, with grey sports leggings reaching to her knees. She will probably wear green striped sneakers with a good grip, although she does like her normal clothing and might be a little sad to change.

**Sleepwear:** For sleeping, Dalila will likely wear a simple lavender cotton nightdress with a lacy rim and strap sleeves, decorated in an elegant floral and leaf pattern in various shades of pink and red. If she gets cold, she will just wrap her shawl over her shoulders to warm herself up and sleep with bare feet (and her stuffed meerkat Salimba)

**Other clothing:** If she were to partake in swimming, Dalila would prefer to wear a blue flared waterproof skirt with a white floral pattern, with a matching tanquinni top which falls to the waistline and doesn't expose her stomach like a bikini would. For formal attire, Dalila would probably wear an elegant bardot style flowing teal dress with lighter lace decorating the rim and centre, the sleeves pushed off of her shoulders, with floral silver earrings, turquoise and white pearls and light green shoes with the smallest heel, since she isn't the best in heels. Her hair would be curled and decorated with matching floral accessories, making her feel temporarily like a princess.

**Accessories:** Dalila has quite a few accessories to add interest to her outfit. This includes floral delicate ankle bands which wrap around her ankle in lieu of footwear, fading copper bead bracelets around each wrist, a silver metal choker and two floral crimson hair clips positioned symmetrically on either side of her head. There are also a few odd leaves entangled in her hair, amber and red like the colours of autumn. Besides this, she has a small rugged canvas satchel which seems to be falling apart and it contains a few wrapped berries, some rickety panpipes, her stuffed meerkat (a birthday present that her mother was able to scrape money for to get her, a difficult feat), an old water flask and a faded photograph of herself with her siblings, which is precious to her. Besides that, she doesn't really have anything of much use.

**#19 **

**Name:** Kate Scott

**Nickname:** [she can't remember]

**Creator:** Little Max

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 20 [That's what she tells herself]

**Date of Birth:** December 14 [It was on a sheet for her]

**Home Country:** Canada [where she woke up]

**Talent:** Ultimate Zombie (Wanted to be a Nurse)

**Sexuality:** Bi

**Blood type:** [bleeds black so] B+

**Body Type:** Slim

**Hair Color:** Red

**Hair Style:** Ruff reddish hair, down to her shoulders

**Appearance:** Kale is a tall girl standing about 5,12. She has long ruff redish hair. She has a sort of greenish skin. She has dark black eyes and spiked teeth. Being a Zombie has made her have stitches everywhere.

**#20 **

**Full Name:** Ashton Acercas

**Creator: ** Alter Ego AV

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 20

**Birthday:** April 13th.

**Nationality:** American.

**Talent:** Ultimate Treant.

**Sexuality:** Bisexual.

**Blood Type:** Maple sap.

**Hair Color:** Green

**Hair Style/Length:** Featherlike leaves in wisps on top of his head and on his chin.

**Eye Color:** Neon blue.

**Skin Tone:** Dark brown. (Formerly a caramel tan)

**Body Type:** Willowy, sticklike.

**Scars**, **Tattoos or Birthmarks:** A carving on his back, a heart outline pierced by an arrow, red mushrooms with white spots growing on his arms and back, vines tying his torso and limbs together. A wood knot in his upper back.

**Height:** 6'10"

**Weight:** 227 lbs.

**Normal Clothing:** An open, tattered black leather jacket and black jeans.

**Exercise Clothing:** His normal outfit, minus the jacket.

**Sleepwear:** A white tank top and red shorts.

**Accessories:** Metal bracers on both wrists. String and twine hidden in a knot in his back.

**#21 **

**Full Name:** Ibb Roos

**Creator: **Runicwolf

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 18 (Technically)

418 (Actual)

**Birthday:** February 27th

**Nationality:** Danish

**Talent:** Runecrafter.

**Sexuality:** Bisexual

**Blood Type:** B-

**Hair Color:** Ashen brown

**Hair Style/Length:** Long and down her back, scruffy with bangs hanging just above her eyes.

**Eye Color:** crimson red

**Skin Tone:** Pale, clear.

**Body Type:** Slim, modest chest.

**Scars,Tattoos or Birthmarks:** "D-270212" Tattoo on the back of her neck.

**Height:** 5'10 ft (178 cm)

**Weight:** 165 lbs (75 kg)

**Normal Clothing:** Red field cap w/ hexagonal logo with an eye surrounded by arrows. Red handkerchief scarf w/ , white dress shirt, long red skirt w/ frilly white inner layer that reaches past her knees, long black socks and brown long boots.

Additionally has on a green work coat that has the symbol of a white rose and has the word "Reunion" superimposed on the back.

**Exercise Clothing:** Red sweat pants, white tshirt w/ red and white hoodie that has a rose symbol on the back, black long socks and white sneakers.

**Sleepwear:** long white and red dress-like pajamas, red shorts, red handkerchief bandana around forehead and long white socks.

**Accessories:** Zippo lighter w/ an array of Greek words and numbers inscribed on both sides, two dog tags that have "Weiss" and "Gehring" inscribed.

Old fashioned brass pendant with the drawing of her and a middle aged man.

Brown leather gloves with runic markings on the hand and palms.

**#22 **

**Full Name:** Reukra Orion

**Creator:** JCW18

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 15

**Birthday:** May 7th :D

**Nationality:** Half Japanese/half American

**Talent:** Ultimate Duplicator

**Sexuality:** Bi

**Blood Type:** A Positive

**Hair Color:** Fiery Orange

**Hair Style/Length:** Fiery orangish red, with yellow highlighted tips

**Eye Color:** Goldish yellow

**Skin Tone:** Average, white paled complexion

**Body Type:** Reukra is small for his age, however he is extremely in shape, with short yet muscular arms and defined chest muscles.

**Scars, Tattoos or Birthmarks:** Scars and scratches all over his hands and arms

**Height:** 5 feet 3 inches (he's small)

**Weight:** 124 pounds

**Normal Clothing:** Reukra wears short red shorts, a white short sleeved t-shirt with orange sleeves, and an orange sun logo on the chest. He also has long orange and yellow socks, and red tennis shoes. Finally, he has an orange bandana around his neck.

**Exercise Clothing:** Same clothing as his normal clothing I suppose

**Sleepwear:** Just sleeps in his shorts without a shirt

**Accessories:** His orange bandanna, and his mother's small diary which he keeps secure in his back pocket. His mother's Diary.

**#23 **

**Full Name:** Feliks Mlynarz

**Creator:** Bellatrixshine

Nickname: Lix

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 14

**Birthday:** July 19

**Nationality:** Ukrainian

**Talent:** Ultimate Fairy

**Sexuality:** Bisexual

**Blood Type:** O-

**Hair Color:** Light green (was dark brown before joining the AUP)

**Hair Style/Length:** Feliks has wavy hair that reaches a few inches past his shoulders. He often pulls it back into a low ponytail that he ties with a black ribbon.

**Eye Color:** Honey

**Skin Tone:** Fair-skinned

**Body Type:** Feliks is a very lean young man. Despite his height, he is underweight, to the point his ribs are visible through his shirt. He also has ethereal, butterfly-looking, dark green wings that have a wingspan of four feet.

**Scars, Tattoos or Birthmarks:** Feliks has four light green dots under each eye.

**Height:** 6'4

**Weight:** 174 lbs

**Normal Clothing:** Feliks wears a white tunic, a light green vest layered over it, dark green pants, and light brown boots.

**Exercise Clothing:** A white t-shirt, green sweatpants, and green and white sneakers

**Sleepwear:** Feliks sleeps in the nude. If he has to leave his room for whatever reason, he'll throw on a white robe and bunny slippers.

**Accessories:** N/A

**#24 **

**Full Name:** Miya Ainara

**Creator:** Red

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 15

**Birthday:** June 28th

**Nationality:** Japanese

**Talent:** Ultimate Missing Persons Investigator

**Sexuality:** Bisexual (Has more of a preference for girls, though)

**Blood Type:** A

**Hair Color:** Navy Blue

**Hair Style/Length:** Somewhat messy hair that reaches to her hips. Often, Miya will style it into a pair of long braids. She ties the ends with beige hair elastics.

**Eye Color:** Reseda Green

**Skin Tone:** Fair

**Body Type:** Petite and Slim

**Scars,Tattoos or Birthmarks:** N/A

**Height:** 5'2"

**Weight:** 107 pounds

**Normal Clothing:** She wears a gray checkered dress shirt underneath a black sweater with white stripes. Over that is a unbuttoned duffle coat that is red. Miya also has a white belt, which holds up a plain green skirt. She wears white over-knee socks and beige ankle-boots.

**Accessories:** Miya wears a beige headband. She also carries along a white backpack with her. The contents inside aren't particularly remarkable. Just some packs of gum, books, and a white Nintendo DS. In one of the pockets of her duffle coat is a police detective badge.


	2. P1: Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

_Prelude 1_

Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

**Location: Grand Library (1****st**** Floor)**

**Time: 6:23PM**

**Date: ?**

_**xxx**_

"Why do you insist on bothering him so much? It's clear to me that he doesn't wish to speak about this." Sonia said, sounding rather annoyed. Alejandra remained silent for a moment, glancing away from the Ultimate Angel.

"I understand, it's clear that he doesn't wish to share this with me. However, we might gleam something useful from his previous endeavors on this island. It may be callous, but it has to be done. You're the only one that can get this out of him." the young woman said. Sonia frowned, her eyes focusing on the doors that lead into the Grand Library.

"I cannot...he's been through a lot, lost so many. He cares about Shiro and Mackenzie, despite what they've become. I doubt he wants to speak about that, even to me. Have you perhaps tried speaking with them instead?"

"Speaking with those two is nigh impossible. It's clear that they've changed far too much. Makes me wonder what they were like before all of this." Alejandra said, tapping her chin with a finger.

Sonia sighed, feeling her wings stretching slightly behind her back. Alejandra did have a point, she had been out of the world for awhile. She didn't know exactly what was going to happen, so it would be best to be prepared. She hadn't been present when it happened, but she knew already, one of the victims had been attacked by the creatures that ran rampant through the island. She needed to know, what horrors lied in that forest. She nodded to herself, glancing at her fellow Ultimate.

"Alright...I shall take your request. However, I am only going to share with you the things that will pertain to this island. Nothing personal, is that understood?"

"Yes of course! Remember, the more graphic the better!" the young woman replied. Sonia rolled her eyes, slowly entering the Grand Library.

Saino glanced up briefly from her book, a look of annoyance on her face. She said nothing as she returned to her reading, scanning the room, she found Daisuke sitting beside one of the windows. He was holding a worn looking tome in his hands. She vaguely remembered it, back in Hope's Peak, she wouldn't see the boy go a day without it. She smiled slightly, at the fond memories she had of the academy. Before everything went to hell. She slowly made her way towards him, he didn't even stir when she stood before him.

"Good evening Sonia. I wasn't expecting you to come here of all places." the young man said softly, his eyes pouring over the pages he was reading.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked curiously. He looked up from his book, brow quirked.

"It's not hard for me to notice that angelic glow. Not to mention your wings rustle a bit when you walk." he said. She flushed brightly, glancing away from him. She cleared her throat, adopting a poised look, one she hadn't taken in quite awhile.

"I do hope I'm not bothering you. Um...I have something I'd like to ask you...if you wouldn't mind that is."

"She put you up to this didn't she?" the Storyteller asked, causing the Angel to stiffen.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Alejandra, she got you to ask me about the last game didn't she? That one is quite persistent. Give her a pen and she takes the well."

"I'm sorry...I'll take my leave." Sonia said, giving the young man a bow. He grabbed a hold of her hand as she turned around, causing her to stop.

"I never said I wouldn't tell you. I've been meaning too...but I haven't found the time, nor the ones I truly trust. There's so many that blame Shiro and Mackenzie for what's happening. That isn't the case, they're victims, _his_ victims. It's a damn shame he died before I was able to get my revenge."

"Daisuke...I know a lot of things have happened but...stewing in those emotions isn't healthy. Perhaps it's time you let them go." Sonia advised, giving him a small smile. He sighed, glancing out the window, gesturing for her to sit beside him.

"Fine, I'll take your advice. I'm not going to talk because Alejandra put you up to it, but because I've been swallowing this for awhile."

"Are you sure you want to talk about this?" Sonia asked. She briefly glanced toward Saino, who despite reading her book, had a look of interest on her face.

"I'm gonna have to talk about it, especially with how things are currently going. Despite everything being written in this book, its words are lost to the winds. They don't carry the same charm when read by someone else."

"Now that's just you being pompous."

"Is it though? You seemed to love that story I wrote about the Dark Devas back in the day." Daisuke said, giving the former princess a smirk. She flushed, glancing away from him.

"I like hamsters, is that a crime?"

"Not really. Regardless, I suppose I should start at the beginning. You can consider this a prequel of sorts, especially if our current game is the third in the series." the young man said, suddenly becoming serious. The frown on his face deepened a bit as he glanced out the window, noticing the oncoming storm. He was silently hoping it wasn't Cthulhu again.

"Daisuke, are you alright?"

"Mhmm...it's just...I'm being forced to remember her."

"Her? Oh...you mean Hiyoko? You two were engaged, before this happened correct?" she asked.

"Yeah...I didn't think Junko would get her mitts on her. She changed her into something so sick and vile. I knew Hiyoko could get on everyone's nerves, especially mine. But...forcing those kids into a Killing Game? Using that game to warp the mind of an innocent child? I hate to say it, but she deserved what she got."

"Sweetheart, maybe you shouldn't."

"No, I think he should."

"Saino...sorry, are we bothering you?" Daisuke asked, his eyes scanning the Ultimate Dragon, who had decided to join them. It was rare for her to do this, but she was curious about what the young man had gone through, despite her being present for it all.

"You aren't...it's as Sonia said, these things need to be shared. I locked the door, so that no one bothers us. Would you like some tea? It'll help you relax."

"That would be lovely, thanks Sai."

"No problem, Royal Milk Tea happens to be a favorite of mine as well." she said, leaving to prepare their drinks. Daisuke took a deep breath, grabbing a hold of his worn looking tome, flipping to what looked like the middle. He pulled out a silver colored piece of foil, placing it in the middle of the book. Sonia eyed it curiously, but said nothing as she focused her attention on the Storyteller.

"It's been hell to keep this damn thing bound. Erika used to help me, but...heavens, I don't know if she's even alive."

"She is...I'm sure she is." the Angel said, giving him a reassuring smile.

"You're right, no way in hell Snowflake would let her die. Regardless, I suppose it's time to begin our little tale."

_**xxx**_

_**Location: Hora Beach (Southern Hora Island)**_

_**Time: 3:30PM**_

_**Date: August 1**__**st**__** 2020**_

_**xxx**_

Daisuke's eyes slowly opened, and he sat up, finding himself on what looked like a beach. He shook his head a bit, finding a bit of sand lodged in his hair. He quickly shook it, as he forced himself to stand up. He didn't know how he had gotten to that island...he remembered, Hope's Peak Academy opening, and deciding to head there when everything went black. Just how long had it been? He moved his arms a bit, feeling as if they hadn't been used in a long time. He felt a presence behind him, and quickly turned around, reaching for his katana, only to find it was missing.

"So, we meet again, Mr. Del Rio." the voice of the Ultimate Biologist said, making the young man growl.

"Jibo Momota...I thought you were in space?"

"I was...but I returned to Earth. I had a little project I needed to take care of...do you remember that offer I made you?" the man asked. Daisuke narrowed his eyes, a memory flashing through his mind. He was heading toward Hope's Peak, and intercepted by an odd looking man. He had made him another offer, to join the AUP. He refused again, and that's when it all went black. He growled angrily.

"So...you brought me here against my will?"

"You were refusing. I didn't bring you here because I wanted too, I brought you here because I was asked too. That little dove of yours turned into quite the mastermind...she's no longer with us. Her body must be floating somewhere in space." he said. Daisuke looked up at the sky, seeing it was an odd mixture of red and blue, almost purple, as if Despair was raging against Hope, and slowly being trampled by it.

"She killed herself didn't she?"

"That's right...betrayed by her own son. The boy took a lot after Enoshima, it was her egg after all...I had a relatively feisty sperm cell given to me for the fertilization. I'm certain you know where it came from." the man said with a sneer. Daisuke spat on the ground, glaring at the man.

"What do you want? Why bring me here?" he asked.

"Oh, my reasoning is simple. Some of my..._experiments_, are running wild on this island. Alongside them, are others like you. You already had an interesting talent, so I just gave you something else. It should start coming in soon, but you now possess several modifications. I wish to see how these modifications help you in a survival situation. Simply put, you'll be in your own little killing game."

"What?" the young man asked, his voice becoming rough and angry.

"That's right...I was going to let someone else explain it to you...but what can I say? You've piqued my interest. More than the other subjects at the very least. Just know that you cannot leave this island...if you try to...well you'll be torn apart by a particularly nasty creature. Now, if you wish to make it to tomorrow, I would hurry along. The creatures on this island become a lot more dangerous at night." the man said, turning away from the young man, taking his leave. Daisuke wanted nothing more than to destroy the man, to kill him where he stood...but that wouldn't solve anything. Not when he was trapped on his island, and turned into who knows what.

"I'm getting out of here...and when I do, I am going to destroy you Jibo...I promise you. I will kill you with my own hands." he said softly.

The Ultimate Storyteller glanced over his shoulder, hearing the waves slowly slamming into the shore. The water was a dark inky blue, nothing like the crystalline waters he was used to seeing. He half wondered if what Jibo had said had been true. He however didn't want to find out. He glanced back to where Jibo had been, seeing the man had practically vanished. He was on an unknown island, without a map and without a means to defend himself. He looked at his hand, clenching it into a fist. He felt a bit stronger, he didn't know what it was but it was as if he had been working out for a long time. As if he could lift hundreds of pounds without a single ounce of strain. The young man frowned, glancing at the sky.

"Does that mean he made you real? Is that even possible? Heh...if he's capable of creating clones, I wouldn't call it impossible. This island...it must be crawling with them, innocent victims turned into abominations by him. I should get to safety, if any modicum of safety even exists."

He started walking toward the forest. The trees were a sickly brown color, the bark looking as if it was on the verge of death. Some of the branches lacked leaves, while others were a dark green. There was nothing tropical about these trees. In fact, he didn't spot a single palm tree on this island. He jumped onto a small ledge, seeing the path that cut straight into the woods. He shivered a bit, the canopy was so thick only a few blades of sunlight actually made it through.

"_I can't believe this is happening. Well...maybe I hoped for too much, I was so focused on what I was doing that I wasn't paying attention." _he thought to himself. He continued walking slowly through the woods, the hooing of owls could be heard, echoing through the forest.

He didn't know why, but he felt like he was being watched. The hair on the back of his neck was standing on end. After all of the things he had seen in the world, Daisuke didn't exactly get scared. But he didn't know why he was starting to feel fear. He didn't know the full scale of what Jibo Momota could accomplish, but he didn't want to find out. He took a few more steps forward, spotting something not far from where he stood. Hanging from a tree, was a messenger bag. Not any bag, his bag. He started running toward it, grabbing a hold of the strap, sighing with relief.

"Gracias a Dios, you're still with me." he said softly, as he took the bag into his arms. He slung it over his shoulder, pulling the zipper open, taking a look inside.

His precious tome, the one that contained all of his stories. He pulled the worn looking book from within, turning to the first page. He saw a picture of his family. His mother Maria, a beautiful woman who had always encouraged him to be the best writer he could. She had been his rock for most of his life. Always wishing him luck, and congratulating him when he did well. When he had gotten his acceptance letter for Hope's Peak Academy, she had started crying. She was proud that her son was accepted in the world renowned "Academy of Hope". Who knew that a short time later, that very academy would be turned into a battlefield. A battlefield for an Ultimate Death Match, one that he was glad he wasn't a part of. He shook his head, trying not to remember those moments.

His little sister Erika was in the picture as well, a brilliant smile on her face. Sitting beside her was her best friend, her Siberian Husky, Snowflake. The dog was playfully licking the girl's face, the cause of her smile. Daisuke stood next to his mother, his arm wrapped around her waist. He had a grin on his face...he had remembered the day this picture had been taken. It was the day he had received his award for New York Times Best Seller, for his book titled Distrust. This was the only picture he had of his family. They had scattered to the wind, the moment the world had ended. He placed his hand over it, taking a deep breath before closing the book.

"I'll find you...I know you guys are alive, I can feel it in my heart." he mumbled. He stuffed the book in his bag, feeling something else inside it. He pulled out a small brown pack, the letters MRE printed on it. It came with a small note, along with a flint lock and what looked like a map.

He quickly opened the map, trying to see if he could find out where he was. He looked over it, frowning a bit. Hora Island was written at the top in what looked like crayon. The map itself showed the entirety of Hora Island. It was perhaps a couple hundred square miles across, with what looked like miles of forest. One thing that stood out about this map, was the fact that three fourths of it was shaded in black. The only thing that was on his map was the beach behind him, and miles of thick forest, aptly named "The Dark Woods." there was a path that lead to what looked like a settlement. However, he didn't know what kind of settlement it was, or what he would find there. He swallowed hard, folding the map and stuffing it in his bag.

"_Looks like there's only one path. Where that leads, who knows? I guess I have nothing to do but walk forward." _he thought to himself. He glanced back toward the beach, seeing the dark waters that kept him prisoner on the island.

He walked forward, knowing there was nothing to go back too. He needed to find a clearing and make a camp. One thing stuck in his mind however, Jibo had said there were others like him. Not only that, but there were experiments lose on the island. He didn't want to be outside, not when he didn't know what horrible abominations could be laying in wait. While he wasn't particularly worried, he was terrified of what could be out there. After everything that had happened, the killing games he had witnessed, and the friends he had lost, he just wanted everything to end.

He heard something snap next to him, causing him to jump slightly. He glanced through the woods, straining his sight a bit. The canopy didn't let a lot of light come though so it was nearly impossible to see anything. He reached into his bag, looking around for a flashlight, or something. However, all he found was a flint lock, which wouldn't help him at the moment. He bit his lip, curiosity getting the better of him. He walked off the beaten path, walking through the woods. As he did, he found a thick branch, that had fallen from one of the trees. He didn't think it would make a good weapon, but it would do. Grabbing it from the ground, he brushed some of the dirt and mud off of it, holding it tightly in his hand.

"_Well Daisuke old boy, guess this is it. You are on an island you don't know, with nothing to defend yourself with. There are monsters out in the woods, you have no light and will most likely get eaten. What a shitty way to go, I bet that bitch is laughing her ass off right about now." _he thought, as he made his way through the thick tree line. As he walked, he noticed an orange glow cutting through the trees. He could smell burning wood, a fire! There was someone else nearby. He quickened his pace, almost running at a full sprint. He stumbled over a broken branch, falling into a clearing.

"Oh...dammit." he mumbled, groaning in pain.

"AAAHHH! A monster!" a female voice cried. He looked up, about to say something when he felt something strike the top of his head. He blacked out a second later.

**_xxx_**

"_.ey...re yo...kay?"_

Daisuke groaned slightly, his eyes slowly opening. His vision cleared a bit, showing him a bit of his surroundings. He was facing straight up, being on his back. He could see nothing but thick foliage above him. He felt someone beside him, and slowly turned his head, eyes focusing on the young woman that was kneeling beside him.

She had long light pink locks, with streaks of aquamarine flowing through it. Her hair fell freely down to her waist, and she wore a large white bow on the back of her head. He noticed her face, she bore a worried expression on her face. She had soft looking skin, and brilliant aquamarine eyes. She had lightly tanned skin, her cheeks being covered by what looked like scales. He noticed she was clutching her hands tightly, and he could see the light pink fins growing from her wrists, the edges shining in a glimmering gold. Her dainty fingers were topped with sharp looking manicured pink nails. He also noticed the webbing between her fingers.

One thing was clear for Daisuke, whoever this young woman was, she wasn't human. Not anymore at least. He slowly sat up, clutching his head as he backed away from the girl, hitting a log behind him. He figured she had been using it as a seat or something. She backed away, a fearful look on her face.

"You aren't going to kill me are you?"

"Huh? What? No why would I kill you?" the young man asked, clutching his head. He felt a bump on the side of it, which was still a bit tender. The girl sat down on the grass, a sheepish smile on her face. She scratched her cheek with a finger.

"Um well...I kinda hit you with a frying pan."

"Ay carajo. That's why my head hurts so goddamn much." Daisuke said, gritting his teeth slightly. The girl slowly stood up, walking over to the other side of the camp. He noticed her take a hold of a leather satchel.

His eyes fell on her body, taking it in now that she was standing. She was wearing nothing but a white tube top, with black frills on the edges. It had thin straps, one of which was falling off her shoulder. He noticed her thin hour glass shape, and what looked like gills on the side of her body. She was wearing a matching skirt, black in color with several layers, reaching down to her knees Her legs were covered by a pair of long black boots , caked in mud from the trek she had most likely taken. She turned around to face him, holding a small packet in her hand, along with a bottle of water.

"I was given these pills with my survival kit, along with several bottles of water. I wasn't able to get food, but at least the water keeps me from dying." she said, handing them both to the Storyteller.

"What are you? You have webbed hands, and fins growing out of your wrists." the boy said, after he had taken the pills. He had drained the water bottle, he hadn't noticed how thirsty he was. At least until he felt the water on his tongue. The young woman frowned, as she sat down on the log across from him. She grabbed a hold of a nearby stick, poking the fire a bit.

"Well...I guess you could say, I'm an "Experiment". I craved talent...I wanted to become famous. However, I wasn't very good at my chosen profession." she said. She licked her lips, grabbing some sticks and tossing them into the fire.

"And that profession is?" Daisuke asked, having sat up a bit more. He was leaning against a nearby tree, looking for his Messenger bag.

"Singing...I wanted to be a singer. I took inspiration from the big names, Sayaka Maizono, Ibuki Mioda. The girls from AKB48, Larval Stage Planning. There wasn't a day I wasn't listening and admittedly, terribly singing along. But I loved singing, I wanted to be a professional singer. But my voice wasn't the best...I finally had enough one day and decided to quit. At least...until I heard about a special singing program."

"A poster?"

"That's right...despite the tragedy happening, I didn't give up hope. Sure, things were bad, but the entire world didn't end. I tried to use my voice to calm the people down, but they only became irate. There was this man, handing out posters for a program. He said he could guarantee me a talent." the pinkette replied, grabbing one of the bottles from her bag.

"Jibo." Daisuke mumbled under his breath. He knew exactly what that was. The poster was for the AUP, the Artificial Ultimate Program, something that the Ultimate Biologist had been trying to get him to join.

"But it isn't all that bad! Sure I'm not human anymore, but I can sing beautifully. Oh right! You asked me what I was, well...I'm the Ultimate Siren now!" she said proudly. She took her half drank bottle of water, holding it to her gills.

"What? Siren? How the hell is that even possible? That's a mythological creature, they don't exist!" the storyteller cried out, eyes widening in shock. The girl shrugged, as she capped her empty bottle.

"I'm not sure...the old man explained something to me. That he had wanted to create a race that far exceeded humans. He wanted to create the perfect species...I guess he used his talent to create something. He also said something funny but, I fell asleep right after." she said. Daisuke frowned, not exactly knowing what to say.

"_What are you up to old man? Didn't you get your sick kicks in Space? Why would you come back here to experiment on random people?"_

"Hey, what's your name?" the girl asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"My name? Oh right...I guess I haven't told you. My name is Daisuke Del Rio, I'm the Ultimate Storyteller. It's nice to meet you miss."

"Ah! I know you, you're that famous writer...the one who wrote Distrust, and that Fire Emblem spin off! I'm a huge fan! My name is Charlotte Loire by the way." she said, in the blink of an eye, the girl had taken a hold of his hand, shaking it violently.

"I have so many questions! What was your inspiration? Are any characters based on real people? How did you decide which characters would die? What about Fire Emblem? Did you base "The Masked Marauder" off any bullies?"

"Callate callate, que me desesperas!" Daisuke cried out, causing the girl to stop. She let go of his hand, watching him rub his shoulder.

"S-sorry...I didn't mean to do that. Guess I don't know my own strength."

"Yeah, it's fine...ew, your hand is slimy!" he said, shivering a bit as he wiped his hand on his pants.

"Ehehehe, sorry! My hands secrete this goo to keep my scales moist." she said, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"Anyway...are you alone here? I met the old man not that long ago, he said there were others like us." he asked, trying to change the topic.

"Well...no we aren't alone. I actually ran into someone else, this really cute girl. But she's out searching for wood."

"By herself?" the storyteller asked, tilting his head in confusion. Charlotte giggled, shaking it off.

"Trust me, she's tougher than she looks." she said. Footsteps filled the clearing, signaling the arrival of another person.

She was a rather short girl, standing around five feet, six inches in height. She was wearing a rather odd ensemble, she wore a white short sleeved button-down shirt, with golden accents. Each accent formed a different shape, flowers and even butterflies. The shirt was tucked into a blue layered skirt, with frills and white embroidery on the hem. Over her shirt, she was wearing an oversized blue sleeveless jacket, with a hood. The jacket bore a golden zipper, gold pocket linings and other small accents. Thigh high socks adorned her legs, and she wore pastel blue sneakers with golden laces. She finished her look with dark blue leg warmers.

If her attire was something that stood out, then her hair and make up absolutely popped. She had long hair with light blue extensions, her hair being tied into a lengthy side ponytail. She wore an egregious amount of eye shadow around her eyes, a bright white in color. Small dots adorned her face, mostly around her cheeks. Light blue lipstick adorned her lips, giving them a brilliant glow. He noticed the matching ribbon that held up her hair, bright blue, white and gold. Around her wrists she wore scrunchies that were also blue and gold. This girl had a fascination with bright pastel colors, colors he hadn't seen in awhile. Even the tie around her neck matched with her outfit.

"_At least she's coordinated." _he thought, holding back a snicker. He noticed the bag that was slung across her shoulder, which housed several bundles of sticks within. He also noticed what she was reading, his Storybook. He was up to his feet in seconds.

"Pfft...this is gold! I can't believe he writes such pervy things in here!"

"Hey! Who said you could read that? Give it back!" Daisuke said, retching his book from the girl's hands. She blinked for a second, surprised by what had happened. She looked up at the boy, giving him a grin.

"Oh hey! You're finally awake, you took a nasty bonk on the head didn't you? You aren't dizzy are you?"

"No I'm fine. Now give me my bag back, please." he said. She giggled, pulling the sticks she had brought out of it, handing the bag over to him.

"Sorry, I was just using it to gather some firewood. You're an awesome writer Mr. Del Rio, I really liked that Fire Emblem story. I was getting to the good part!" she said, as the boy hugged the tome closely to him.

"I'm glad you like it, but I don't like when people read my stuff without permission. Just ask next time okay miss?" he asked. She remained silent, giving him a wink.

"Sure thing! We haven't introduced ourselves, my name is Shiro Hayashi, it's nice to meet you Mr. Del Rio!" she said, holding her small hand out. He looked at it, noticing it looked relatively normal.

"It's nice to meet you Shiro. You uh...love pastel colors huh?" he asked, shaking her hand.

"Yup yup! I look so cute in this right? Pfft, why am I asking, of course I do!"

"Hehe...Shiro is...an odd one. She's like us, got a talent and everything, but it's an iffy one." Charlotte said.

"Iffy? What's more iffy than a siren?"

"How about an Executioner? That's right! For the low low price of free, I'll design your death trap! What do you fear the most? I'll start designing one right away!"

"_Okay...this one is definitely crazier than the Siren. At least she didn't hit me with a frying pan." _Daisuke thought, deciding to stay silent. He backed away from Shiro, forcing a smile onto his face.

"I'm all set Shiro...I uh...am allergic to death."

"Pfft...sure, whatever. Anyway, I brought us more wood, but it isn't going to keep the fire going for longer. We're gonna have to find some shelter soon." Shiro said, sitting down at the nearby log. She crossed her legs, fiddling with the end of her ponytail.

"Why do you say that Shiro?" Charlotte asked curiously. The girl giggled, twisting the strand of hair around her finger.

"Because, there are spoopy creatures out here trying to murder us!" she said ominously.

"Come on, are you honestly believing that crap?" Daisuke asked, once he had made sure his bag was clean of sand and dirt. He noticed his MRE was missing, most likely having been eaten by the Executioner.

"Of course! I mean...when I was gathering wood, there was this thing watching me. I have no idea what it was, but it made my head all fuzzy. I kept hearing a buzzing noise too." she replied, her golden eyes focusing on the flames before her.

"Buzzing?"

"Oh my god! There's a giant hornet out here! I'm like deathly allergic, maybe we should find a house or something?"

"Charlotte, come on now. I doubt that's it...but what Shiro said does sound familiar. Whatever the case, perhaps it would be easier to pack up and move along. I know we don't know each other that well, but let's at least stick together. For all we know, we might be the only humans left on this island." the Storyteller said, zipping up his bag.

"Hehe...human...I doubt we're even human anymore. Charlie sure as hell isn't." Shiro said, earning a frown from the siren.

"That's beside the point...did either of you get a map? The one I got only shows the forest."

"Same here, it's rather odd...it's as if Jibo wants us to follow the path. I wonder if there are other places on this island. It can't be all forest." Daisuke said, crossing his arms.

"Maybe there are, maybe there aren't. Whatever the case, let's go find some place! I gotta take a number 2 and I am not digging a hole in the ground!" Shiro said firmly. She grabbed one of the thick sticks she had brought, pulling out a piece of cloth from her pocket.

"We can't exactly go anywhere, at least not without a fire." the storyteller said.

"Way ahead of ya. That MRE you had brought some packaged meat. Charlie fried it up and saved the grease, it should help us with a torch. At least for a little while." the Executioner said. Daisuke watched with interest as she dipped the cloth in the grease, wrapping it around the end of the branch. She put it in the fire, her eyes sparkling as it caught fire.

"Hehehe...yes! I have made fire!"

"This is my life now isn't it?" Daisuke said softly, earning a sigh from the Siren.

"Yup...let's put out that fire and get out of here. I don't want to be outside when the sun goes down." Charlotte said, earning a nod from her two companions.

**_xxx_**

"What do you think is out there?" Charlotte quietly asked, after twenty minutes of silence. The small group of three had been mostly silent as they walked, staring at the ominous path that lay ahead of them.

"Who knows? The creepy woods set up is kind of overdone if you ask me. It's one of the most overused plot devices ever. If this were a story, a scary monster would have tried to kill us by now." Daisuke replied, arms crossed as he walked forward.

"Oh, you mean like the man I saw earlier?" Shiro asked, causing the storyteller to look at her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. She jabbed a thumb behind her, holding the torch away from her face.

"There was a guy back there, tall and lanky. He was wearing a coat and had a hockey mask. I think he was holding a machete in his hand." she replied. Daisuke stopped walking, turning to face her.

"Shiro, don't fuck around with me. I know we're on a spooky island with who knows what out there. But this is not the time for that kind of joke."

"Uh...D-Daisuke, I don't think she's joking." Charlotte shakily said. The young man looked up at the siren. He followed her line of sight, eyes widening a bit.

The figure stood, several hundred feet away from them. A tall imposing figure, dressed in what looked to be worn black pants. They were wearing black grimy boots, that looked to be glistening with water. Their upper body was covered in a disgusting looking tan jacket, the arms looking torn, the inner fluff being dark brown in color. It looked as if it had been submerged underwater for a long time, years even. The last notable thing about this figure was the hockey mask they were wearing. It was old, covered in brown stains and seemed chipped on the sides. A piercing gaze could be seen underneath it. The figure rose its hand, a bloody machete in his grasp.

"What the fuck?"

"He's walking towards us!" the siren cried.

"Ooh, I wanna shake his hand!"

"Shiro, come the fuck on!" Daisuke cried, taking a hold of her hand. He pulled her along, breaking out into a sprint. Charlotte followed along, glancing over her shoulder.

"What the...he's just walking?"

"Huh?"

Daisuke stopped running, looking back at the man. Charlotte was right, he was just walking at them. It wasn't a brisk pace, it wasn't a speed walk, it was just...normal walking. He looked at him oddly, narrowing his eyes.

"Wait a minute...he looks familiar."

"Well duh, that's Jason Voorhees! Or...at least someone pretending to be him. Knowing the old man, he probably convinced this poor sap into thinking he was the real deal." Shiro replied.

"So...he's like us then? Another experiment? Maybe we should talk to him, he could help us."

"Yeah, I don't think someone who wears that get up wants anything other than our heads. Let's keep walking, and put out that torch. As long as it's dark he won't be able to find us." Daisuke said. Shiro nodded, dousing the flame, tossing the torch aside. They continued speed walking up the path, making sure not to veer of course.

"Guys can we stop? I'm having a hard time breathing." Charlotte said, after a few minutes. Daisuke had glanced over his shoulder, noticing the hockey mask wearing murderer was gone. He slowed to a stop, sighing a bit.

"You sure you're okay? The last thing I need is you croaking on me." he said.

"Hehe...I don't croak silly! I'm a siren. I just have to keep my gills wet so I don't choke. Give me a minute and I'll be good to go." the pinkette said, grabbing one of her bottles. Daisuke sighed, giving her a bit of space as she started pouring water down her sides. He leaned back against one of the trees, crossing his arms.

"We've been walking on this path, and haven't come across a single building yet. The blades of light are starting to shift, won't be long until the sun goes down."

"Should we set up camp then?" Charlotte asked.

"If you wanna get killed by Voorhees, sure. I dunno about you, but I don't feel like dying yet. We should at least find a building or something." Shiro said. Her gaze drifted to the side of the path, lips pursed in thought.

"Good point...let's talk supplies. I had an MRE in my bag, one that was already consumed. Charlotte had water and a frying pan, am I to assume you also had a flint lock? Because I had one."

"No, Shiro used a lighter to start our fire. She had a knife with her, no food or anything. The only thing we've eaten is what was in your MRE...sorry about not leaving you anything." the pinkette said, giving him a sheepish smile.

"Don't worry about it, I wasn't exactly that hungry to begin with. However, we at least have a weapon to defend ourselves with, which is good. Shiro, do you still have that knife?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, it's right here." she said, pointing to her left leg. Sticking out of her stocking, was the handle of a black survival knife.

"Are you planning on hunting something for us? Is the man of the group going to risk his life for us women?" Charlotte asked jokingly. He rolled his eyes.

"If I find a boar or something, I'll go after it. We can use that knife to make some weapons, a spear at least. It would be better than not having anything to defend ourselves. We should keep going, if you see any sturdy sticks, don't hesitate to grab them."

"Sounds like a plan! But what should we do about the glowey stuff?" Shiro asked, causing the boy to quirk a brow.

"Glowey stuff? What stuff?" he asked. She pointed to a neon green splotch on the ground. It was glowing a bright neon green, trailing into the forest.

"That right there, it kind of looks like blood." she said. Daisuke walked forward, kneeling before the splotch. He dipped a finger in it, before inspecting it. He held it up to his nose, eyes narrowed.

"Smells like...paint...glow in the dark paint. What's this doing here?"

"Maybe someone else is on this island. Someone like us, they could have used that as a trail. Y'know, to leave a trail back to the main path." Charlotte said.

"Seems likely...normally I wouldn't do this, but it might be prudent to check it out. If there's someone else, someone like us, I believe we should lend a hand. Keep your eyes peeled, and stay close to me." he said. Shiro giggled, wrapping her arms around his, giving him a wink.

"Let's go! I'll keep you safe Dais." she said, earning a sigh from him. He didn't say anything, grabbing his bag strap tightly as he walked forward.

They didn't say anything, the only sounds in the forest being their own breathing and their footsteps. The hooing owls seemed to be getting closer, their hoo's sounding rather ominous. It was almost a cliché, that every haunted forest needed to have owls. Daisuke wondered if that had been deliberately done. He had never heard of an island having owls on it. The paint before them had been glowing brighter and brighter than the one at the path. As if it was more recent. After a few minutes of walking, they reached a building.

It was a shack, a medium sized abandoned shack. It was a ghastly looking building, made out wooden logs. Said wood was rotting, due to the years of abandonment. The roof was angled and covered in broken tree branches and rotting leaves. The windows had all been broken, glass strewn about. The wooden steps leading to the door had been broken, the wooden planks having sunk down from the strain of being snapped. What was once the front lawn, was a mess of overgrown grass, various patches having long dried out. Some of the nearby trees were missing their leaves, adding to the ominous surroundings. The Storyteller frowned, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Of course, the first building we run into is a stereotypical creepy house. _Fantastic._"

"Hey, it's better than being out here right? Should we check it out?" Charlotte asked. Daisuke was about to reply, when he heard something crash within the house. All three of them jumped slightly, having been taken by surprise.

"Ooo...sounds like someone died!"

"Shiro! Don't joke about that. I'm going in to investigate, you two stay out here. If I'm not out in 5 minutes, assume the worse and leave. I'd rather it be me than you two." he said.

"What? We can't let you go in there by yourself!"

"So that means you are going in with him? No offense Charlie, but you look ready to piss your pants." Shiro said, having taken notice of the Siren's shivering. She grit her teeth, glaring at the shorter girl.

"I a-am not s-scared!"

"Okay, go in the house then."

"U-um...m-maybe D-Daisuke should go. He is a m-man after all." she replied.

"Riiiight...whatever. Here you go Daisuke, if you find anything creepy in there, stab the shit out of it!" the Executioner said, handing him the survival knife. He drew it from the sheathe, looking at the blade.

It was in fact a bayonet, bearing a round black handle. It had a thirteen inch blade, with several teeth on the dull end of the blade. It had been sharpened to a razor sharp edge, silver in color. He noticed the emblazoned emblem near the hilt of the blade. A six pointed star with the image of a wolf on it. He also noticed a name being engraved at the top of the blade.

"_Fenrir...that militia group I heard about. I guess this bayonet belonged to one of them. Does that mean one of them is here? I hope so...I think someone with their military experience would be useful. Though, the name Alice seems familiar. Hmm...Alice Bailey...where have I heard that name before?" _

"You going in or are you chickening out?" Shiro asked.

"Oh uh...right." he said. He took off his bag, slinging it across the Executioner's shoulder, giving her a smile.

"Keep an eye on that for me. If I come back safe, I'll let you read some of it, if not, burn it."

"Okay, but I get to ready before I do." she said.

"No you don't, Charlotte if I die in there, make sure she burns that thing." he said firmly.

"No problem Chief!" she said, giving him a salute.

He steadied his breathing, walking toward the abandoned house. He had a bit of trouble climbing onto the porch, due to the broken steps. The wooden board creaked under his weight, as he walked toward the open door. He passed through the threshold, noticing a flashlight on the floor. He knelt down, taking a hold of it. He flicked it on, being slightly blinded by the light. He crossed his arms, keeping his knife blade outward, while shining his light forward. He had done this many times while braving the world after the Tragedy had begun. He shone his light around the entrance, swallowing hard.

"_This house looks bigger on the inside than the outside." _he thought. He shone the light to the right, into a room with boarded windows. It was pitch black inside, the worn looking furniture having been month eaten. It smelled dank and damp, the ceiling had a huge hole in it, giving him a clean view of the second floor. He took a step toward the living room, glancing around for a moment.

"_I'm gonna die of black mold poisoning in this shithole."_he thought to himself, holding back a chuckle. He stumbled a bit, almost falling to the ground. He shone the flashlight at the floor, eyes widening a bit.

"Shit." he muttered, kneeling down. He placed the light on the ground, balancing it so it shone upward, brightening the room a bit.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, shaking the young woman a bit.

She looked to be seventeen, with long waist-length platinum blonde hair, currently splayed all around her. She had porcelain skin, and soft facial features. She was wearing a short sleeved pale green tee shirt, with paint splotches on it. She was wearing long gray trousers and matching shoes, both being covered in paint. She had a bright green ribbon tied in her hair. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but the small bit of blood on the side of her forehead proved otherwise. He slowly stood up, walking toward the entrance.

"Hey, there's a girl here. She seems hurt, mind giving me a hand?" he called out.

"Okay, be right there!" Shiro said happily, skipping toward the house. The Ultimate Siren shivered slightly as the breeze picked up, shaking the trees slightly. It was as if the wind had a mind of its own, the forest was too thick for it to blow in the forest, and yet it was. She quickened her pace, catching up with Shiro.

Daisuke checked the girl over, thankfully not finding any other injuries. She stirred a bit, her eyes slowly opening, meeting his gaze. He gave her a smile, backing up slightly.

"Hey there, you okay?" he asked. The girl suddenly sat up, backing away from him.

"W-who are you? Are you going to kill me?" she cried fearfully.

"What? Of course not! I heard a crash and came to investigate. You have a cut on your head, and you're bleeding." he said. The girl seemed to calm down a bit, but she still looked a bit shaken up.

"I dunno what's going on. I woke up in this scary forest, all I had with me was a flashlight and some power bars. I found this house because it was getting late. I heard something behind me and then everything went black."

"Ooo, so this girl got the frying pan treatment! Guess there's a notorious serial killer out there. And they use frying pans!"

"Shiro, take this seriously okay? If this girl was hit on the head, that means we might not be alone." Charlotte said firmly. She knelt down before the girl, checking her over.

"You have a cut on your head, sadly we don't have any medical supplies. I can at least clean it out for you." she said softly, giving the girl a smile. She pulled out one of her many water bottles, along with a piece of cloth from her satchel.

"So, you got a name? I'm Shiro Hayashi, it's nice to meet you." the Executioner said, giving the frightened girl a smile.

"Oh um...my name is Mackenzie Alaestar. It's nice to meet you too."

"I'm glad that you're okay Mackenzie, our situation is a bit dire. Regardless, my name is Daisuke Del Rio. The pinkette is Charlotte Loire."

"Ultimate Siren, are your service!" Charlotte said, giving Mackenzie a wink.

"S-siren? Those are real?" Mackenzie asked, giving her a once over. She noticed the scales on her cheeks along with the fins coming from her wrists.

"Seems to me like our benefactor brought us together for some reason. All of us are Ultimates, well...I was an Ultimate before being on this island." Daisuke said.

"Benefactor? Oh...you mean the old man...he told me I was an Ultimate Painter now. He gave me a bag with some paint supplies and left me in the woods."

"I really wanna know what he wants from us. Why bring us here? Why bother giving us these talents?"

"He wants us to kill each other!" Shiro said, a look of excitement in her face.

"What?"

"That's not funny Shiro." the Siren said, glaring at the girl.

"I'm afraid she's right. Jibo told me why he had brought me here, he said he wanted to see if we could survive here. There's other experiments on this island, I'm willing to believe you are all successful talents."

"Does that mean he did something to you too?" Mackenzie asked, cringing a bit as Charlotte continued to clean her cut. Daisuke remained silent, glancing away from the girl.

"_Should I tell them? I'm not exactly sure if Jibo did anything but...maybe I shouldn't risk it. Then again...I think it would be better to keep it to myself, at least for now." _

"No...as far as I know, he's doing this to get back at me." He replied firmly.

"Get back at you? You've met the man before?" Charlotte asked, earning a nod from him.

"I had a run-in with him a few years back. Remember the Killing Game? Being run in Hope's Peak Academy? I was almost in that game." he replied.

"R-really?"

"Yeah, but I decided to remain on the outside. When the tragedy started, I wasn't exactly a fan of locking myself in. I had to watch my friends die in that damn game. My fiancee, she turned into an Ultimate Despair...the reason I'm here, is because of her." Daisuke replied, shaking his head.

"I seriously doubt that. The old man looked like he wanted us to just survive out here right? Why would he go through all of that trouble? To bring you here?" Shiro asked.

"That's how despair works I'm afraid, right now I don't know where his allegiance lies."

"Not that this isn't interesting but...what are we going to do now?" Mackenzie asked, earning a sigh from the Storyteller.

"Dunno, this is the only place we've found. We might just have to rough it here for the night...it's better than being out there."

"We don't have any food, just water. I think we should ration it a bit. But...I'll die if we do." Charlotte added. Shiro was about to say something when a loud slam echoed through the house. Daisuke was instantly at his feet, clutching the knife tightly in his hand. He slowly made his way toward the entrance, noticing the door had been tightly shut. He frowned, glancing over his shoulder.

"Girls keep your guard up...we're not alone."

_**xxx(End of Prologue 1)xxx**_

_**Remaining Test Subjects: 4**_

_**A/N: Hello wonderful readers and welcome to this, the first Prologue for House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned! That's right, this story is a prequel of Crit Fail's story House of Horrors. It will detail the events of the First Killing Game on Hora Island, and how Daisuke, Shiro and Mackenzie ended up as the sole survivors.**_

_**While we may know the end result, we don't know the entire story. That is the purpose of this fic, to explore the secrets of Hora Island. To explore the horrors that the cast of House of Horrors are unaware of. To see the things that Daisuke has experienced in this world. We'll get to see how Shiro and Mackenzie became who they are in the future, and how this Killing Game changed them. I'm very excited to be working on this project.**_

_**First of all, I would like to thank those who have gotten an invite from me. It's because of you that I'll be able to do this. You guys are creating the characters for this story, characters that everyone knows are dead in the future. So thank you so much for helping me with this. I would like to thank Crit Fail, for allowing me to be a part of Legacy of Despair. I've wanted to do something like this for awhile now, to add to that long series of wonderful stories. Now I get to bring my offerings to the table, and hopefully make a unique experience that you'll all like. (I hope so anyway haha). I would like to thank those who have read my own stories, this one is for you all!**_

_**Now, I will be working on the prologue whenever I have a chance. As you know, I'm working on Oasis of Hope, as well as House of Horrors and my own series. I don't know when I'll continue The School Life of Mutual Killing, or Morning Hope Academy. I kind of want to take a break from those stories (Not from Danganronpa, just my AU haha).**_

_**What can you expect from this story? Stuff and things of course! The best stuff and things in the world! It's the best kind of stuff too, the kind of stuffy stuff that's filled with lots of things. So I hope you look forward to this.**_

_**I will be sharing the profiles for the characters in the next update. The reason why, is because I want to have them all prepared. The next chapter will introduce 4 more characters, giving us half of the 17 member cast. I'm still working on Charlotte's profile to add her to the cast. She's my precious baby for this story. (She's already dead, there's no saving her), so I want to get her profile right.**_

_**Finally, the start date for this story. I'm looking to officially start this on May 15**__**th**__**. Yes it may sound like a long time, but bear with me. I am working on Oasis, House of Horrors and my own stuff. Not to mention there are things about Daisuke that I don't want to reveal here ahead of time. I'm working closely with Crit to make sure things are as smooth as possible. This is the perfect date for me to start. Though if I get all the profiles ready, I'll be working on it, I just won't post it until then. For those that I have personally invited and are working on Ocs, the deadline is April 29**__**th**__**. But I know you guys will most likely finish before that date. Godspeed, and seriously, thanks for accepting my invite. It means the world to me.**_

_**TL;DR**_

_**This new story is part of Legacy of Despair, it starts May 15**__**th**__**, the Deadline is April 29**__**th**__**. Don't let memes be dreams, Shitposting gives me life, read up on Crit's stories, trust me, they're amazing!**_

_**Also, shoutout to my fellow author WinterSmith, who is working on the Second Hora Island Killing Game, called Creatures of Despair. I have no idea when he'll release his, but look forward to it. My second shoutout goes to MudkipOfDespair, who is helming another Legacy side story called Central City of Despair, one of my OC's is in that one and I am excited for it! The final final shoutout goes to TheKoboldNecromancer, who is also helming his own story, Mists of Penjar, also for Legacy. Man...I can't believe there are this many side stories haha.**_

_**Well...see you all later**_

_**Embrace Despair!**_


	3. P2: Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

_Prologue 2_

Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

**Location: Abandoned Cabin in the Woods (Hora Island)**

**Time: 6:00PM**

**Date: August 1****st**** 2020**

_**xxx**_

Daisuke didn't know what to make of it. Here he was, in an abandoned cabin in the woods, alone with three girls. One of them was injured, and they had no good weapons. He had Shiro's knife, and Charlotte had a frying pan. Not exactly good home defense, but it would do. He swallowed hard as he glanced toward the front door, wondering just why it had been slammed shut. He took a deep calming breath, shaking away the nerves. It hadn't been the first time he had been put into a situation like this. He had been living on the streets for most of the Tragedy, having to deal with deranged freaks and the rogue Monokuma unit. He could handle an abandoned creepy house.

"What are we going to do?" Charlotte said softly, grabbing his attention.

"Mackenzie is still a bit out of it. As much as I hate it, we'll have to make this our camp for night. I'll take a quick look around this place, make sure there's no one here. Shiro, I want you with me."

"Okay!" She said cheerfully, a look of excitement on her face. He decided to shake it off.

"What about us?" Mackenzie asked fearfully.

"That's easy, I want you and Charlotte to stay close to each other. Keep an eye on both ends of this hallway. If someone is coming at you, scream. We'll be able to hear you, and don't be afraid to bonk them in the head with that pan." the Storyteller said.

"Hmm...fine, but you should take that flashlight with you. You'll need it if you want to look around this place." the siren said, pointing toward the flashlight in the center of the room. Daisuke shook his head.

"Keep it here, you'll need it more than I do. Shiro has a lighter, I think we'll be fine with that." he said.

"Don't you two worry! We'll be right back, so don't be scared!" the executioner added, giving the two girls a smile. Mackenzie seemed to calm down a bit, giving her a nod. Charlotte held her frying pan tightly in her grasp.

"Be careful okay? The last thing we need is the two of you dying."

"Bah...I can't die yet! It isn't in the cards. Sit tight, we'll try to hurry up." Daisuke said. He brandished the knife, walking away from the living area of the house.

Shiro followed along, having reached into her skirt pocket for her zippo. She flicked it on, holding it ahead of them, the dull glow of the flame serving to illuminate their path. The rest of the house looked almost as dilapidated as the outside. The wall paper was peeling in places, and cobwebs were hanging from the wooden ceiling. They reached the back end of the house, spotting a door that lead to the backyard. The entrance to the very right was the Kitchen and Dining area, while the entrance to the left lead to a back stairwell and another room.

"Maybe we should check the kitchen, you know for knives and stuff." Shiro suggested, earning a nod from Daisuke. The two walked into the kitchen, noticing the state of it.

It was the most disgusting looking kitchen he had ever seen. The stove was entirely absent, as if it had been ripped out of the wall. The kitchen cupboards were rotting, one having fallen clean off the wall. The fridge had been left open, a rusted mess beyond recognition. He could see the carcasses of dead rats and other critters that had most likely wondered in. There was a broken table in the center of the room, news papers littering the floor. But what bothered Daisuke the most was the lingering scent of copper. Shiro took a step forward, but he held his arm out, causing her to stop.

"I'll take a look." he mumbled. She shrugged, handing him the lighter, staying close to the threshold of the door. He slowly made his way toward the kitchen sink, his nose scrounging up a bit as he neared it. He looked inside, eyes widening.

"Ay Dios mio." he cried, stumbling back a bit. He bumped onto the overturned table, almost falling over the leg.

"What? What? What did you see?" Shiro cried out, shortening the distance. She peered into the sink, backing away slightly when she saw it.

"Whoo, that's gnarly."

Daisuke shook his arms a bit, turning away from the sink. He took a deep breath, his throat being slightly dried out. He wished he had asked Charlotte for some water before hand. He glanced back at the sink, the splotches of pink visible from where he was standing.

"You know...I've seen a lot of shit in my day, but I've never seen a severed head before." he said. He heard some rattling nearby, noticing Shiro had opened one of the drawers. She withdrew a butcher knife, holding it up as she examined it with the aid of her lighter.

"This is the only thing here...and there's a blood stain on it."

"I would rather not know what's on it Shiro. Let's get out of here yeah?" he asked, earning a giggle from the girl.

"No need to be such a baby. Come on, I'll take the lead this time, you hold onto the light." she said, passing him the lighter.

Meanwhile in the living room, Charlotte was keeping an eye on the hallway. It hadn't been that long since Daisuke and Shiro had taken off. She had heard something from the kitchen, and had seen them walk across to the other side of the house. Once their footsteps died down, she turned her attention towards the door. Holding her frying pan tightly in her grasp, her aquamarine eyes focused on the knob. She heard a rustle beside her, noticing Mackenzie had shifted slightly. She frowned, kneeling down a bit as she poked at her injury.

"Hey, don't do that. It might get infected."

"S-sorry. It just hurts a bit."

"I know, but those pain killers I gave you will do the trick. So tell me about yourself, how did you end up on this island?" the siren asked curiously. The platinum blonde frowned, glancing down at the floor. She tucked her legs underneath herself, having grabbed a strand of her hair.

"Um well...I'm not sure how exactly I got to this island. But...there was this nice man. He offered to make me special. He had apparently heard about my struggles in life. I wanted to be the Ultimate Writer, but my stories just weren't the best."

"Hmm...this must be that Jibo fella Daisuke mentioned. I've heard some things about him. He apparently has connections to Junko Enoshima." Charlotte said, earning an eep from the girl.

"Y-you mean...the girl who started all of this? The tragedy I mean."

"Yep. I saw that shit go down on television. It was everywhere, there wasn't a day where I didn't hear about someone's death. Everything was fine, at least until the Hope's Peak killing game started. The hope of humanity, 48 Ultimate students, being forced to kill each other. Heh...if I wasn't in this situation, I think I would laugh." she said.

"Did you also want to be an Ultimate?" Mackenzie asked curiously, her violet colored eyes focusing on the siren. Charlotte tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, leaning back against the wall.

"I guess you could say that. I come from a poor family...well I did. I grew up, watching cartoons on Saturday mornings. There was this one that I really liked...I think it was called Jem, they used to show reruns all the time. It inspired me to start singing. I got into anime, and eventually J-pop. My inspiration was Sayaka Maizono, a girl who was just like me...an untalented poor girl, who made it to the top. Thing is, she had something I didn't." she said.

"Talent, right?" the Painter asked, causing Charlotte to sigh. She licked her lips, glancing at the giant hole in the ceiling.

"You'll never make it in the industry...your voice isn't meant for singing. Every time you sing, your voice cracks. You're the reason the Titanic sank, because you deafened the lookouts. I would rather stick my dick in a blender and drink the pulp, than to listen to one of your songs. It was all so harsh...so disgusting. But I kept at it, I kept getting better, but I wasn't ever perfect. I signed up for a talent show, where I knew music producers would be, hoping I would get noticed."

"You didn't, didn't you?"

"No Kenzie...no I didn't. I had practiced for weeks, doing everything I had taught myself to do. I kept my vocal chords in good shape, practiced my songs daily, and got plenty of rest. I went on that stage, and I sung my heart out. And I still wasn't perfect, in fact...there was a man from Capitol Records there. He told me that I was the worst singer in our generation. He said that if Sayaka Maizono were still alive, she would laugh in my face...that was it, I decided to quit. But just as I was about to leave the show, a man approached me with a poster. A poster for the AUP...long story short, I'm here now. I wanted to be a singer, and now I'm a siren." she said, finishing her tale. She took a drag from her water bottle, sighing contently.

"You've had it a little harder than I thought...I suppose we're kind of alike. I love writing, it always helped me cope with everything that was happening in my life. But I guess my writing was never good enough. I'm...honestly trying not to faint right now."

"Huh? Why? Are you sick?" the siren asked, giving the blonde a look of concern. She flushed slightly, looking away from her worried gaze.

"No...I'm fine it's just...I'm a huge fan of Daisuke's work." she said, earning a laugh from the Siren.

"So am I. He doesn't have that many books, but the ones he does have are amazing. I've been a fan ever since he started his YouTube channel. He has the most soothing voice. You could say, I was slightly jealous of it."

"Jealousy isn't a good thing...I think we all have things that make us special." the painter said, a smile on her face. They heard something crash above them, causing them to jump a bit. Charlotte glanced up at the hole, swallowing the lump in her throat. She let out a gasp when she saw a pair of beady yellow eyes looking back at her.

"There's something up there. It had yellow eyes" she said.

"M-maybe we should go get Daisuke and Shiro."

"No...no...they're checking the other side of the house. I think we should handle this one. Whatever is up there could ambush us, we don't need that happening. Come on, stick close to me...you can hold the light and I'll cover you." she said. Mackenzie nodded, shakily grabbing the flashlight. She grabbed a hold of a fanny pack, which was filled with what looked like paint supplies.

"L-lets go!" she said, earning a nod from Charlotte. She started off towards the nearby stairwell, looking up to the darkened second floor. Mackenzie shined the light, shivering a bit in fear.

**_xxx_**

**Location: Abandoned Cabin in the Woods (West Side)**

**Time: 6:35PM**

**Date: August 1****st ****2020**

Shiro didn't like creaky floorboards. They were annoying and squeaky. Whenever someone tried to quietly walk to the bathroom, the floorboards would always give you away. Whenever she was trying to sneak snacks at 3 in the morning, she'd have to be careful. Not only due to the squeaky boards, but because the microwave always beeped too loudly. To top it all off, if she had successfully managed to make something without anyone noticing, she would turn around too fast. That lead to her spoon falling to the ground, and that usually ended up causing her issues. Her disdain towards squeaky boards only grew as she continued walking down this hallway. She glanced away from the floor as they passed by a window. She had a bored look on her face, evident by her own reflection on the glass.

"What the fuck?"

"Uh...something wrong Shiro?" Daisuke asked, glancing over his shoulder. She glanced away from the window, her golden eyes boring into his own.

"I thought I saw something. I think it's that Jason wannabe, he followed us here."

"If I hadn't seen him beforehand, I wouldn't believe you. Just ignore him, I doubt he'd do anything. Jibo wouldn't let him do that."

"If you say so." she said softly, shortening the distance between them. She shifted the lighter to her other hand, grabbing onto Daisuke's jacket.

She managed to get a good look at his outfit, it was rather simple. He was wearing a plain black tee shirt, with no visible markings or prints. He was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, along with leather combat boots. Over his shirt, he was wearing a hooded jacket, which had a few dark stains on them.

It was plain, it was boring...she had to fix it. She _needed_to fix it. Alas, she had no materials to work with. Given the chance, she was going to make him a new outfit, something that better suited him. She was already giddy at the thought, especially when choosing the cloth she would use.

"You seem excited." the Storyteller said, coming to a stop. They had reached the end of the hall, finding a pair of doors that lead to another room. There was another stairwell leading upstairs. He briefly wondered why the house had so many stairwells.

"I'm just thinking."

"What about?"

"The outfit I'm going to make you. You look so bland in what you are wearing, so I'm gonna make you something new! Something with pastel colors, you'll look absolutely adorable!" she cried, causing the young man to cringe.

"Yeah...no thanks. I think I'm fine with what I am wearing."

"I won't take no for an answer. Trust me, I'm not going to let you say no, once I have an idea, I'm going with it." Shiro said, earning a sigh from the boy.

"You remind me of my sister. She always insists on buying my clothes for me, that I have no taste in fashion. Honestly speaking, I think I do well picking out my own clothes. All things considered."

"Pfft, typical male behavior. You pick up a pair of pants and put them on, despite them being dirty and stinky. Your sister is doing a wonderful job then."

"Mhmm...I haven't seen her since the tragedy started. She's an Ultimate like me, the Ultimate Dog Whisperer. She's been through a lot of shit but...I'm sure she's fine...where ever she is. What about you, got any siblings?" he asked curiously. Shiro glanced away from him, her eyes falling onto the doors before them.

"I wonder what's beyond these doors, probably something spooky. This house is super big though. Doesn't look like it from the outside huh?"

Daisuke didn't say anything. It was clear Shiro was changing the topic, meaning that question had a sensitive answer. He shook it off, it wasn't his place to pry anyway. He grabbed a hold of the door handle, holding the knife tightly in his grasp.

"Alright, be careful. We don't know what might be in here, so stay behind me." he said firmly. She grabbed her own knife tightly, flicking her lighter off, throwing the room into semi-darkness. The little light from the outside was more than enough for now.

Daisuke took a deep breath before slowly opening the door. He peered inside the room, eyes widening a bit at what he found. The room seemed to be an office of sorts. There were files and books littered all over the place. Broken glass and trophies were spilled all over the floor, as if a storm had burst into the room and thrown everything awry. In fact, most of the back wall of the room was completely gone, revealing nothing but the dark woods outside. However at the corner of the room was what had startled him.

The rotting body of a person was leaning back against the wall. The flesh that had once made up its skin had long since dried out. The body was slumped to the side, its bony arms poking through the moth eaten shirt. The ribcage had been ripped out, several ribs poking outwards through the shirt, which was soaked in blood, long since dried up. The body was missing a leg, which looked like it had been torn off the body. A large pool of blood surrounded the body, along with visible footprint. He shuddered a bit as he took a step into the room.

"What do you think happened here? Do you think this man was a victim of the experiments?" Shiro asked curiously. Daisuke shrugged, sparing a glance at the body. He knelt down next to the body, seeing a badge hanging from the neck. He grabbed a hold of it, wiping it with his sleeve.

"Dr. Reed Richards, guess he was a doctor here." he mumbled. He glanced at the shirt pocket, noticing what looked like a wallet hanging inside. He pulled it from within, opening it up.

"Does he have any money?"

"I doubt that even matters Shiro. I did find something interesting, SCP Foundation Credentials. You know...I always thought that was just a sick joke, some creepypasta on the internet. I wasn't aware this shit was actually real." Daisuke said, his eyes reading the cards. He snapped the wallet closed, placing it in his back pocket.

"Something abstract like Despair was capable of ending the world, there's technology out there that can make sirens. Someone hosted a killing game in a space station. I think anything is possible in this world."

"I think you're right kiddo. I do hope this man was good, and I do hope he's found peace. But, he at least left something useful behind." he said, reaching under the body.

Shiro gasped in surprise as he pulled out a handgun from under the body. An FN Five Seven, a sleek pistol with a polymer frame that was tan in color. The slide of the firearm was black in color, the chamber housing being a bright platinum. It had bright orange front and rear sights, with an L shaped frame. It had an Mil-STD-1913 attachment rail, which currently housed what looked like a small flashlight. He looked the weapon over for a second, flicking the flashlight on. Thankfully it still worked.

"Do you know how to use that?" Shiro asked curiously. Daisuke nodded, pressing the magazine release.

"You sort of have to teach yourself these things. Especially with how the world is. Looks like we got lucky, this magazine is topped off. 20 rounds, which we'll have to conserve. We can at least use the flashlight for now." he said. He slowly stood up, pulling the slide on the gun as he did. One he had a round in the chamber, he flicked the safety on.

"Should we head back? Charlie and Kenzie are all alone."

"I wanted to check the upstairs but...maybe it's a good idea to start going back." he said. They backed out of the room, closing the doors as they did. They spared a glance toward the stairwell, noticing the stairs had been completely blocked, by filing cabinets and crates at the top of the stairs.

"_What the hell happened here? This can't be just a stereotypical creepy cabin. What the hell is the SCP Foundation doing here? Are they in leagues with the old man? Are they the reason Charlotte is a siren now? Not to mention all the other shit they probably did to Shiro, Mackenzie and me. Guess I'll have to find out on my own."_

He was brought out of his musings by the sound of shattering glass, followed by a shriek.

_**xxx**_

**Location: Abandoned Cabin in the Woods (Second Floor)**

**Time: 6:35PM**

**Date: August 1****st ****2020**

Charlotte noticed several things when she reached the top of the stairs. The first was the layout of the second floor, it was unlike the bottom floor. The hallway was much later, and expanded into several rooms. To the very right, was a large room that seemed to be the one above the living room. Further down the hall, lied three doors, all of them being closed. At the end of the hall was a solitary window, the glass having been broken. Long wispy drapes were blowing in the breeze, carrying with it the scent of rotting wood, dead leaves and copper. There was a broken light fixture hanging from the ceiling, the broken bulbs having covered the wooden floor. She shivered a bit, rubbing her arms. She normally didn't get cold, but she had grown a bit anxious. She took a step forward, the boards creaking under her weight.

"Be careful Mackenzie, we don't know what's up here."

"Okay...that door over there is open...should we look?" she asked shyly, pointing toward the door at the very right. Charlotte gave her a nod.

"Yeah, let's go. Whatever was looking at us, was probably in this room."

Mackenzie gave a shaky nod, slowly following after the siren. The light in her grasp shook a bit as she slowly approached the open door. She stopped shy of the entrance, shining the light inside.

"Um...I'll stay out here." she said softly. Charlotte was about to say something, but the look on Mackenzie's face was enough to tell her what she needed to know. She smiled, taking her first steps into the room.

"_A bedroom?" _she thought, her eyes flittering around the room. It was a mostly empty room, save for the broken dresser at the corner of the room. There was an old metal bed frame, long rusted over hanging in the back of the room. The light fixture, a ceiling fan, had been broken and scattered around the room. The walls had large holes in them, some sections of wallpaper having peeled off the wall.

"_Boarded up windows check, peeling wallpaper, check, huge hole in the floor, double check. Spooky factor, over 9000. Yup, I'm in a haunted room." _the siren thought, feeling a shiver go down her spine. She heard a soft creek coming from the nearby closet. The door was slightly open, the small crack showing nothing but inky darkness beyond it.

"Okay Charlotte, this is it. There's an open door, and something hiding behind it. You can choose to open it and die, or close it and not die. Similarly, the room could be empty...but what are the odds of that? Screw it, might as well settle my curiosity."

She took a few brisk steps toward the closet door, her hand grasping the knob. She held her flying pan high, ready to strike whatever was hiding behind the door. She jerked it open, finding nothing but rotting clothes. She sighed, glad that there was nothing hiding within the closet.

"Did you find something?"

"Kyaaaah!"

"Aaaaahhh!"

"Why are you screaming?" Charlotte cried, making Mackenzie jumped slightly.

"You scared me so I screamed!"

Charlotte sighed, placing a hand over her beating heart. She had let the environment get to her. There was nothing in this house, nothing at all. Her own paranoia was probably making things up to scare her. She let out a small giggle, brushing some hair over her ear.

"We should probably get back downstairs. I don't think there's anything up here."

A loud shriek, followed by a gunshot filled the house. It hung in the air for a single second before throwing it back into silence. The two girls shared a look, turning to leave the room. They quickly stumbled down the stairs, almost falling down them as they reached the first floor. Another gunshot rung through the house, making the two girls hasten their speed. They ran past the kitchen, toward the west half of the house. The two girls slid to a stop, panting a bit as they met up with Daisuke and Shiro. The executioner was kneeling down before a body, poking it with a knife. Daisuke stood overhead, his shoulders shaking a bit.

"H-hey, are you okay?" Charlotte asked, causing the man to turn around. He sighed, giving her a nod.

"Yeah...we were just taken by surprise." he said. Mackenzie took a few steps forward, feeling a bit when she saw the deceased animal on the floor.

It looked vaguely like a dog. Its fur was dried and patchy, exposing various areas of pale black skin. There were several cuts across its body, it's paws being crimson in color. It had beady yellow eyes, glassy due to being deceased. Its teeth were sharp, and soaked in bright pink blood.

"What in the hell is that?" the siren cried, earning a shrug from the boy.

"I have no idea, seems like some sort of dog to me." the Storyteller replied.

"You should have seen it! This thing burst through the window, and Dais was like, bang! He shot the fucker dead, then a second one came and bam! Right in the head, it was totally awesome!" Shiro cried, a look of excitement on her face.

"You have a gun?" the Ultimate Painter asked, a look of surprise on her face.

"Yeah, I found one in a room down the hall. There's a body in there, some researcher from the SCP Foundation."

"Huh? The what?"

"The SCP Foundation is an organization, created to catalog odd anomalies in our world. I thought it was all internet creepypasta."

"Well Kenzie, it's 100% real. Dais found some credentials and junk. That means there has to be a facility around here somewhere. They're probably responsible for what's going on here!" Shiro replied.

"We should probably head to the front room. It's already dark outside and I really don't want to get jumped by anything else." Daisuke suggested, earning nods from the three. He took the lead, heading back toward the front room.

"Hey Charlotte, you said you saw yellow eyes in the front room right? Looking at you from the hole. Do you think it could have been one of those dogs?" Mackenzie asked, earning a nod from Charlotte.

"It might have been, but I could have also been seeing things. The second floor is empty at least." she said reassuringly.

"You two went up stairs? Anything of interest?"

"We didn't check all of the rooms. Thank god too, I don't think I could have held it together if I found a body." she said, giving the executioner a smile. As they were about to enter the front room, Daisuke came to a sudden stop. He didn't know why, but something felt off, and he couldn't explain why. It was as if something was watching him, he couldn't describe what, but the hairs on his neck were standing on end.

"Something the matter?" the Ultimate Painter asked, jolting him out of his reverie.

"I just...feel weird...like something bad is going to happen."

No sooner has his words left his mouth when the door to the cabin burst open. The hockey mask wearing man from before stood at the doorway, eyes focused on the four teenagers. He took a step forward, brandishing his machete.

"Holy shit!"

"Run for it!"

"Go, I'll cover you!" Daisuke cried, raising up his gun. He let off a single round, the bullet striking the man in the shoulder. Still he kept coming, not being phased by the injury. He backed away, shooting him a second time in the chest, right in the heart. He let out a cry as the man swung his machete. He ducked back, barely dodging the blade.

"_Jesus Christ, that was a gunshot to the heart. How is he still fucking alive?!"_

"Daisuke just forget him! We gotta go!" Charlotte cried, from the back door of the house. The Storyteller swiftly turned around, running toward the exit, slamming the door shut. He flicked on his flashlight, following the girls around the house, back toward the path.

"What the fuck was that guy? He took two bullets and kept coming!" Shiro cried, panting a bit as she looked back to the house. It was pitch black now, the only light coming from Mackenzie's flashlight as well as Daisuke's gun light.

"He must be one of those modified freaks! One of the old man's experiments." Charlotte added, coughing a bit. She reached into her satchel for a bottle of water.

"We should keep moving, before comes at us. We don't need to die out here." Daisuke said, earning nods from the three. After the siren had re-hydrated, the group of four started walking, moving briskly through the woods.

Despite what was happening, Daisuke was trying to remain calm. His eyes were darting around, as he lit the path ahead of them. Shiro didn't seem too concerned, and was in fact skipping along the path. Charlotte and Mackenzie closely watched the rear, the siren having taken hold of the flashlight. His throat was a bit dry, but he tried to ignore it as he walked.

"_Okay...we're stuck on an island, at night. There's a psychotic killer, who takes bullets better than kevlar. There are other creatures around just as dangerous. We have no food, little water and have no idea where to go. What do I do? Where do I go?" _he thought, biting his lower lip.

"D-Daisuke...c-could we s-stop." Mackenzie said softly.

"Huh? Why? Are you hurt?" the young man asked, glancing over his shoulder. She didn't say anything, instead she pointed towards the brush, pointing deeper into the woods. He stopped mid step, seeing the beady eyes glaring back at him.

All around, he could see various pairs of eyes, all staring at the four hungrily. Heavy breathing could be heard, accompanied by low growling and snarling. He counted at least 9 pairs of eyes, all of them surrounding the group. He kept his ground firmly, his head slowly moving as he looked at the position of every pair of eyes. Charlotte brandished her frying pan, trying to hold it and the flashlight both in her hands. Shiro did the same, clutching her knife tightly in her grasp. Daisuke slowly reached behind his back, drawing the Bayonet from his belt, handing it to Mackenzie.

"Take it...something tells me you'll need it." he said softly. She nodded, taking the weapon into her grasp, holding it so tight her knuckles turned white.

"Alright listen close...whatever these things are, they're going to attack us. It doesn't matter what we do...we're going to run, and I'm going to cover you. If I go down, you keep going, is that understood?" the Storyteller asked firmly.

"What? You're part of the group, we can't leave you behind!" Charlotte hissed back, giving the young writer a glare.

"Yes you will, is that understood?"

"Yep! One hundred percent, it was nice knowin ya Dais!" Shiro said, patting his side. He sighed, shaking his head. He licked his lips, his finger already resting on the trigger. He shifted his aim towards the first set of eyes, his arms shaking slightly.

"Go!" he shouted, simultaneously pulling the trigger. A loud cry followed the gunshot, the growls becoming louder as all of the creatures burst from the woods.

He broke into a sprint, racing up the path following the light ahead of him. He turned back briefly, shooting a nearby dog, its body crumpling into a heap. He let out another round, missing one of them entirely. He noticed they looked exactly like the ones he had shot at the cabin. He didn't know why but they looked familiar for some reason. As if he had seen them somewhere before. He slid to a stop, almost slamming into Charlotte who had stopped right in front of him.

"The hell are you stopping for?" he shouted.

"There's a fence here! It's topped with barbed wire!" she cried, causing the Storyteller to shine his light up. He grit his teeth, turning around to face the incoming dogs.

"Just climb it! I'd rather you get minor cuts than mauled alive!" he responded, once again raising his gun. His aim was shaky, but he managed to take down another dog. Charlotte threw her frying pan and flashlight over the fence, grabbing onto the links. She wedged her boot into the link, pulling herself up. Shiro did the same, having almost reached the top of the fence.

"Hey, why aren't you climbing the fence Kenzie? You wanna die?" Shiro asked curiously.

"No! I'm too scared to move!" she cried, her voice cracking as she spoke. Daisuke let out another gunshot, flicking the safety on his weapon. He grabbed a hold of Mackenzie, lifting her up.

"Grab the top of the fence quick!" he cried, causing her to practically latch onto the metal fence. He jumped up just in time to avoid one of the dogs, which had been aiming for his calf. The last remaining dogs were growling and barking loudly, pink slobber covering their muzzles.

"My good, what the fuck did they do to those things?" he asked, panting a bit. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Charlotte was the first to reach the top of the fence, easily jumping over it. Shiro jumped over it next, easily avoiding all of the barbs.

"And she sticks the landing!" she cried happily, arms raised above her head.

"Now isn't the time Shiro. Come on Mackenzie, you can do it!"

"No I can't! I'm too scared to move!" she cried. She let out a shriek as one of the dogs jumped up, snagging her shirt. It started pulling on it, trying to bring her down. Daisuke reached for his gun, shooting the canine right in the head, a pink mist bursting from the side of its head.

The painter hastily climbed up the fence, grabbing a hold of the barbed wire. She let out a cry of pain as she swung her leg over the fence. She jumped down, the metal barbs cutting deep into her skin. She hit the ground rather hard, a cry of pain escaping her lips.

"Is she okay?" Daisuke cried out, worry etched on his face.

"Worry about yourself, I've got Kenzie. Hurry up and get over here!" the siren cried, already at the painter's side. Daisuke nodded to himself, focusing on climbing the rest of the fence. He finally jumped over it, his jacket tearing as the barbs snagged onto it. He landed rather roughly, panting a bit.

He groaned a bit, glancing back at the last four dogs, all of them growling and jumping at the links. He backed away slightly, laying back against the cracked asphalt. His eyes slowly opened, and he was greeted by something rather odd. The night sky, a beautiful starlight sky. It was the oddest thing he had seen all day. He had grown used to all of the trees blocking his view of it, and yet it looked just as serene as it always did. The night sky hadn't changed much during the tragedy, not like the day sky, which was an ugly crimson color. Seeing the stars was actually a surprise. His eyes settled on the moon, which was in a waning crescent. He briefly wondered if the Ultimates on the moon had been saved yet, or if they had made the same fate as the others before them.

"Daisuke, she's bleeding pretty badly." Charlotte said, bringing him out of his musings. He sat up, eyes widening a bit at all of the pink blood covering Mackenzie's arm. He quickly shed his jacket, tearing one of the sleeves off and handing it to the siren.

"Wrap it up as best as you can, and don't tie it too tight. She might get a blood clot if its tied too tightly." he said.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." the pinkette replied. She took the sleeve, wrapping it around Mackenzie's arm. Her sniffles filled the air, soft cries of pain filling his ears.

"_Dammit, I hate seeing girls cry. She reminds me of Erika, whenever she got hurt, I never knew what to do. I just put a bandaid on it and kissed it, even if it was something minor. Maybe I should have gone to medical school like Grandma suggested." _he thought, a frown on his face.

"Whoa! What is this place? It's huge!" Shiro called out. Daisuke looked away from the painter, his gaze following the shining light.

The building Shiro was looking at was indeed huge. It looked to be at least four stories tall, with two other buildings attached to it. Unlike the abandoned cabin, this place looked newer. Like it had been recently built. It didn't have many windows, and the ones that were visible looked like they were made of thick Plexiglas. There was a large car port as well, large military grade vehicles being visible within. He also noticed several other things, mainly the large piles of sandbags along with three Browning M2 Mounted Machine Guns. He also noticed an M182 Howitzer among them.

"This must be Foundation site, the one that doctor was from." he said softly. He slowly stood up, brushing his pant legs a bit. He had tossed his shed his jacket off, seeing as it was useless now.

"We should get inside. There might be medical supplies here."

"Yeah yeah! And there might be some spooky monsters too! Let's go check it out!" Shiro added excitedly.

"M-maybe we should stay out here." Mackenzie said, still a bit frightened. One of the dogs slammed against the fence causing her to jump to her feet with a shriek.

"Well...I think you've stayed out here long enough. I'll take the lead." Daisuke said, reaching for his gun. He started walking forward, shining his light on the path ahead of him.

It didn't take him long to reach the entrance. There was an unmarked door that looked a bit worn. He noticed a card reader on the side of the wall. However it lacked power, making it useless. He also noticed there was a gaping hole in the glass, most likely having been made by someone. He stuck his hand inside, pushing the door open.

He gave the others a nod as he stepped inside. The air was a bit old and musty, but it was a lot cleaner than in the abandoned cabin. He had to admit, it looked very clean as well, only a few stray pieces of paper could be seen littering the floor. He noticed all of the security cameras mounted in the place, at least four within the entrance hall, all of them pointing in various directions. He swore he saw the red blinking dot on the side of it, but when he focused his gaze, he saw nothing. He noticed a sign on the wall that read "Cafeteria", a set of double doors being visible. He was about to say something when he heard a voice. Charlotte perked up a bit, tilting her head slightly.

"_Those were gunshots! Come on, the old man said there were others here. That means they might need help!"_

"_Well if you wanna go ahead and die, then be my guest. Es tu vida, no la mia." _a female voice said, snapping at the first.

"_Guys come on! We can at least check it out, or are we going to stay in this musty ass building all night?" _a third female voice said.

"_We're gonna have too. We barely made it to this place after dealing with that...that thing! I mean, did you see his muscles? They were bulging and shit!"_

"_We get it Riku, we were there too. Dios mio...are we gonna check it out or not? Because if not, I would rather we get to sleep."_

"There are others. We should be careful." Daisuke said softly.

"I'm feeling a little faint." Mackenzie said, clutching her head.

"Shit, I think she's bleeding through the sleeve. We gotta lay her down and stitch that cut up." Charlotte said. Daisuke sighed, turning back toward the doors.

"Well, no time like the present. Let's just take it slowly." he said. Shiro had other plans however. She giggled as she stood in front of the doors, delivering a firm kick to the center, causing them to open with a bang. The three people standing within the cafeteria screamed in surprise as she strode in.

"Surprise mother fuckers! We're taking this cafeteria now, run your pockets while your at it, before I stab you!" she said, gesturing at the three with her knife. The boy let out a cry.

"Okay okay, we'll leave just don't hurt us. Here, it's all I have in my pockets." he said, reaching into his pockets, tossing various things onto the floor.

"Shiro! For fuck sakes, take this seriously. Hey, we're not here to steal your shit, one of our friends is hurt. We need a place to lay her down." Daisuke said, brushing past Shiro. He had relieved Charlotte of Mackenzie, having picked her up into his arms.

"Oh, bring her over here. This table should be long enough." the raven haired girl said, directing the boy toward the table. He looked around the cafeteria, seeing some of the vending machines being lit up. He also saw several kerosene lamps placed around the room, keeping it illuminated.

"What happened to her?" the boy asked, glancing at the platinum blonde who was struggling to stay awake.

"She sliced her arm pretty badly on the fence. We were chased by these...dog things, I shot a couple of them. But she was the only one who was injured. Do you have any medical supplies?" Daisuke asked curiously.

"Yeah, we got some. But before I bring them out, tell me...why should we help you?" the woman asked, holding up a .38 Special, aiming it at the Storyteller. He reached behind his back for his Five Seven, taking aim at the woman.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Let's not do this, put your guns down. Bella this is now how we do things okay? And you...just...try not to piss her off yeah?" he said.

"Fine...guess we should introduce ourselves. You three first." he said, slowly lowering his guns. The boy nodded, giving him a smile.

"My name is Riku Ito, it's nice to meet you! I happen to be the Ultimate Neko." he said.

Daisuke looked him over, noticing for the first time the odd appendages on him. He had neck length violet hair, two violet furred cat ears sat atop his head. He as wearing a matching black shirt, with a golden phoenix printed on it. He wore a set of gray sweatpants and sneakers. He was also wearing a jacket around his shoulders, which trailed around him almost like a cape. A violet furred tail was slowly moving around behind him.

"Isabella Swan, I'm whatever you want me to be." the woman said, giving Daisuke a smirk.

She had a Hispanic accent, along with caramel colored skin and bright colored eyes. She had crimson hair styled in a hime-cut. She was wearing a knee length, dress with sapphire gems stitched to it, in the shape of a wolf pack. She was wearing matching blue heels with two inch heels. She was a bit shorter than Riku, though not by much. Daisuke also noticed her eye color was changing with every third blink, which was both alluring and disturbing.

The final young woman seemed to be around sixteen years of age, standing at six feet even. She was the tallest among them, and bore long raven locks that fell down to her lower back. It had bright crimson highlights running through it, in a shaggy sort of style. She had an hourglass figure, and looked quite feminine. He also noticed her grayish blue skin color, which didn't look normal to him. She was wearing a Yellow with Pink Polka Dot long sleeve blouse, she was wearing some light gray Jersey Pocket Shorts. She was wearing striped pink stockings, along with Ballerina shoes, which were also pink in color. Feeling his gaze, she turned to face him. He noticed her odd eye color, the whites of her eyes were a bright amber color, her pupils being a light rose pink. She gave him a small smile, and a shy greeting.

"It's nice to meet you, my name is Nyx Flurry Layla, but you may call me Nyx. I'm the Ultimate Halfling." she said, her eyes turning back to Mackenzie.

"Well...we introduced ourselves, it's your turn." Isabella said gruffly, arms crossed over her chest. Daisuke gave her a nod.

"I'm Daisuke Del Rio, I happen to be the Ultimate Storyteller. This is Charlotte Loire..."

"The Ultimate Siren, at your service!" she said happily, holding her webbed hand out. Isabella looked at it, nose scrounging a bit.

"Think I'll pass on the handshake for now."

"Okay, that's for the best. My hand is kind of slimy anyway."

"Hey hey! My turn next, I'm Shiro Hayashi, the Ultimate Executioner! And now that I met you I can begin designing your death traps. But first, what do you think of my outfit? Cute huh?" the Gyaru asked, earning a nod from Riku.

"Oh yes, it's very cute. I like the colors." he said cheerfully.

"Aw, thanks Kitty! It's nice to meet you too Mr. Kitty." she said, trying to scratch his ears. He brushed her hand aside, but she continued reaching for his ears.

"Ah...stop it...hey, don't!"

"Anyway, this is Mackenzie Alaestar, the Ultimate Painter. All four of us woke up on the island not that long ago." Daisuke said, earning a scoff from Isabella.

"Great...sounds like what happened to us. We woke up in the middle of the woods. This old man told us we were part of some game, then he just disappeared."

"Yeah, he did the same to me...I woke up in a hunting seat, strapped to a tree." Riku said, having successfully brushed Shiro away. She had lost interest, having moved toward Mackenzie's sleeping form.

"I awoke in this facility. The old man said that he had brought me here on the brink of death. I'm not exactly sure what he has done to me but...well, I made a full recovery I think." Nyx said.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what Halfling entails though. Sounds like you are half alien or something, especially with the skin color." Riku added.

"Oh I am...I was being held captive by the FBI after being taken from my mom. I come from another planet, my mom Raven took good care of me, but our neighbor reported us...that lead to the FBI capturing me and...well here I am."

"That's a load of shit. You are not an alien." Isabella said firmly.

"Says you...what about me? I'm a siren now, if I get my legs wet I'll sprout a tail. I got gills, and my hands are webbed." Charlotte added.

"I got ears and a tail now...that man offered to give me a talent. He said that if I joined his program that I could be the best Fandubber in the world. I didn't think he'd turn me into a damn catboy."

"I wasn't given a talent...I was just brought here as a revenge scheme. My fiancee...she died in the Horizon Killing Game. She told the old man, Jibo Momota, to bring me here. I'm just...a normal guy." Daisuke said, frowning a bit.

"Horizon Killing Game..you mean that game that was in the Space Station? Your fiancee was in that game?" Riku asked curiously.

"Yup, and I'd rather we didn't talk about it. I believe we should just remain calm...I'm sure we'll be fine here. It's been a long day, and Mackenzie is injured. She needs to recover."

"Oh, she'll be just fine. I used one of my abilities to heal her wound. It's a healing light, if I hover it over an injury, I can instantly heal it. But only small cuts and deep wounds. I can't heal broken bones." Nyx said.

"Ooo...that's pretty cool." Shiro said, earning a flush from the Halfling.

"It's nothing really."

"Is there any water here? I need a refill." Charlotte said, causing Isabella to point to the machine.

"That one there, it was left open with a full stock. We also have some snacks from the other vending machine. Just junk food, try not to waste it all." the crimson haired woman said. Daisuke frowned, glancing toward the other end of the empty cafeteria.

"_Well...at least we're safe. Mackenzie will be fine, and we met 3 more people, all of them like us. But...what exactly are we going to do now? Are we just gonna rough it here until we can find a way off this shithole?"_

A loud buzzing filled the room, as all of the monitors in the cafeteria sprung to life. There was nothing but static for a few moments, before a face appeared on the other side of the screen. Daisuke growled as he looked at the sneering face of Jibo Momota. The Ultimate Biologist was leaning back in his seat, holding a glass in his hand.

"Welcome to SCP site 11037. You all must be wondering why it is that you were brought here. It's rather simple, all 17 of you are quite special. Hora Island has been site of many countless things in the past. It was site of a battle in World War 2. This land has seen quite a lot of bloodshed, and now my failed experiments run amok. However, the lot of you serve a purpose...you are the first step. The first successful batch of experiments on the island. Thus, I will dub you Class 78-C of Hope's Peak Academy." he said, holding back a chuckle.

"Just tell us what you want you sick fuck!"

"You can't hold us on this island against our will. That's illegal!" Charlotte cried angrily. Jibo shook his head, smiling at the camera.

"It isn't illegal as you think. Our world has been ravaged by tragedy, by war for the sake of war. Junko Enoshima did the world a service. It helped weed out the useless people, and got rid of them for me. From what remained I selected you, as part of the Artificial Ultimate Program. Something once buried by Hope's Peak Academy. My aim is to make the perfect race of humans. However from the many batches I created, there were various failures. The creatures that are on this island, were once just like you...a few of you have already met one of my experiments." he said firmly.

"That hockey mask guy...he took two bullets and just kept coming." Daisuke mumbled.

"Ah a good question. All 17 of you managed to make your way here, to this site. Just like I had planned...however if you wish to be free of this place, two of you must be sacrificed. That's right, if you wish to leave SCP Site 11037, you must kill two of your fellow students. You know how this works. You all will be forced into a Class Trial where you shall find the blackened. Alternatively, you could bypass this all by taking one of my Research Tests."

"_17? But there are only 7 of us here...where the hell are the other 10?" _Daisuke thought to himself.

"So, you choose the test then? Fine by me...you have one hour to meet each other at the cafeteria. The test shall begin at exactly 10:00PM. If you wish to survive the night, you best count on your fellow students. However, the option still lies. Kill two of your classmates, and you shall walk out of here. Of course, that's if you want to be put to trial for your crimes. We'll speak again soon."

The monitor shut off, throwing the room into silence once more. Daisuke growled angrily, shaking in place as he glared at the monitor. He felt nothing but sheer anger at the Ultimate Biologist. Who was he to tell them what they could do? Who was he to encourage them to murder each other? They weren't his guinea pigs, they weren't his test subjects. The Storyteller clenched his fists angrily, as he looked up at the screen once more.

"_I swear to you Jibo...I will stop at nothing to bring you to justice for your crimes. I swear this on my life."_

_**xxx(End of Prologue 2)xxx**_

**Surviving Test Subjects: 17**

_**A/N: And that's a wrap! I can't believe we're already two chapters in. This one was merely to get Daisuke, Charlotte, Shiro and Mackenzie to our little playground for the first part of this story. Yes, the first area will be SCP Foundation Site 11037, site of many spoopy things.**_

_**As of now, I think I will be taking a break from this story. I know, I know...Celestial you just started, what that fuck? You cheeky wanker...I know...but I want to take my time to get everything right, and develop the plot a bit. It also gives me a bit of time to finalize the cast and work on the small itty bitty details, of which there are a lot.**_

_**Ah yes before I forget. To anyone who might be reading this, this pertains to those of you who have gotten Silver Tickets from me. Though that's mostly on the Discord, but whatever you get the point, I'm sure you've noticed the cast list, and while it's a good cast, you've probably noticed that there are only 4 female characters.**_

_**How did that happen? Well I got lazy...so the last spots will have to be female characters. I am only accepting one more male character and that's it. Shiro falls in a gray area because he will be written as a girl for most of the story. So right now, he's not really among the male to female ratio and is excluded from that list. So yes...I need the last few submissions to be female. I'm sorry for not keeping track of this, I've been super busy with other things.**_

_**In any case, I think everything will be fine. Even if you've written a male character and are seeing this, I think I could easily make the switch to female in order to fit the needs of the story. So don't fret if you've written one. It's perfectly fine. So until next time, have a good day.**_

**_Next time..._**

"_Why is Rika Nyan Nyan so cute?"_

"_Could you stop calling me that Shiro?"_

"_Rika Nyan Nyan! Rika Nyan Nyan! Rika Nyan Nyan!"_

"_Kill me."_


	4. P3: Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

_Prelude 3_

Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 Building # 2 (SCP 871 Containment Room)**

**Time: 9:00PM**

**Date: August 1st 2020**

**_xxx_**

A small sigh escaped her lips, as she slowly regained consciousness. She felt a stiffness in her body that hadn't been present when she had gone to sleep. She slowly sat up, taking in her surroundings. She was in a room, barely being lit by the fluorescent bulbs above her. It smelled a bit musty, as if no one had been within that room for quite a long time. She slowly rose to her feet, popping her back loudly, a pained moan escaping her lips. She shook her head, coral pink ringlets falling around her head.

Haruna was confused. Her eyes scanned the empty room for a moment, noticing it was made mostly of concrete. Her dainty brows furrowed, as she started walking forward. The only door in the room was closed. Aside from that, there was only a single table before her, along with a chair. Hanging from the wall was a television monitor, and a speaker box.

"Where...I thought I was on a boat?" she mumbled. Her sky-blue eyes scanned the table before her, noticing something rather odd. There was nothing but a silver platter before her, along with a fork.

She looked at it oddly, feeling an odd sense of curiosity from it. As a hostess, she was often tasked with delivering things to people. Silver platters were usually used in fancy restaurants and hotels. She felt a bit anxious, wanting to pull the lid off and reveal what tasty morsel was hidden underneath. It was then that she noticed just how hungry she was. She jumped a bit when she heard the monitor come to life, bathing the room in a bright light, far brighter than that of the bulbs.

"_Haruna Shirai, the Ultimate Hostess, I welcome you to Hora Island."_

"Huh...Hora Island?" the girl said softly, still confused. The man gave her a nod. She heard an eerie creak, her eyes shifting to the corner of the room. It was then that she noticed the large surveillance camera pointing at her.

"_Indeed...you find yourself here, in SCP Foundation Site 11037. You were aboard the Majestic Princess before striking a reef off the shores of Hora Island. We were able to save one life boat from the rough seas, the one that contained you. You should consider yourself lucky, you could have faced the same fate as the rest of the crew."_

"What? What do you mean the ship struck a reef! Where the hell is everyone? What the fuck happened to the ship?!" the hostess cried angrily. The man sighed, about to speak when he started coughing. He struck his chest lightly, hoping to ease his coughing fit.

"_Pardon me, I'm a bit under the weather. Let us continue shall we? It is sad to say, but in order for you to repay the kindness I showed you, you must take part in some...experiments for me. If you wish to survive the horrors of Hora Island, you must comply. Before you is a silver platter, please remove the cover." _the man said. Haruna glared at the monitor, but ended up doing what the man asked. She lifted the lid off the platter, revealing a cake.

A delicious looking chocolate cake. A double decker, fudge delight...succulent looking, delectable cake. She could feel the hunger pangs again. The sweet scene of chocolate seemed to waft from the confection, making it that much more appetizing.

"_I see the cake has you excited. Your heart rate has increased a bit. Well sweetheart, go ahead, have a piece. However I must warn you, this particular cake is...odd."_

"Odd ...It's just a cake. What the hell is wrong with it?" Haruna cried, backing slightly away from it. Jibo let out a chuckle.

"_Nothing is wrong with it. I assure you, it's a real cake, there is no poison inside it. However, those that see this cake must consume the entire confection. And I mean, the entire thing...if even a tiny crumb is left behind...well there could be some terrible consequences."_

"Tch...whatever, this doesn't exactly concern me. I think I'd rather find some food elsewhere," she said, placing the cover back on the cake. She swiftly turned around, brushing her bouffant skirt down as she walked. She grabbed a hold of the door, trying to pull it open, only for it to remain firmly barred.

"What the...hey, let me out!"

"_I'm afraid that isn't possible. You see...in order for you to leave this room, you must consume that entire cake. If you don't, then we risk it duplicating. It does so quite frequently, so if you don't want to die of diabetes, or being smothered by cakes, I'd get started. I assure you, you will be compensated for your troubles." _Jibo said, giving the girl a sneer. Haruna glared at the man, flicking one of her ringlets over her shoulder.

"Let me get this straight. If I eat this damn cake, you'll let me go? As in, I can leave this room?" the hostess asked. The man nodded firmly. "And if I don't eat this cake, it will multiple so much, that it will kill me? Is that right?"

_"__Every word."_

"You've got to be shitting me...alright then, I'll play your game. It's better than being locked in this damn room." Haruna said, as she walked back toward the table. She pulled the chair out and sat down in it, brushing her skirt down. Feet firmly placed on the ground, the Ultimate Hostess uncovered the cake, grabbed her fork and started to eat.

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #2 (Storage Room)**

**Time: 9:00PM**

**Date: August 1st 2020**

"I can't believe this...trapped on an island, forced to do some sick game? As if trekking through the woods wasn't bad enough." a young woman said, pacing around angrily. With her every footstep, the ground seemed to melt and sizzle.

She was a beautiful young lady, with short platinum blonde hair. She had dark brown skin, her body having an athletic build. At least, most of her body did. Her chest was bouncing slightly with every angry step she took. She was wearing a modest blue bikini, which covered her breasts entirely, but left nothing to the imagination. Around her waist, she wore a multicolored sarong, that reached down to her ankles. Her feet were completely bare.

This young woman was Bethany Yonaga, the Ultimate Pele, according to what the old man had told her. At least, that's what Kanemoto believed. She was still just as confused as the angry girl before her.

She remembered playing her favorite game, that being Pokemon Gold. She had been walking down the street after a particularly heated argument with her parents. She had been walking down the street, when a van pulled up to her. They had asked her if she had been interested in becoming a true Pokemon Trainer. Before the man could explain more, she had hopped in his van. She had of course, woken up in another place, due to the steadily rising heat.

Kanemoto herself was a woman of seventeen, with long brown hair tied into a single ponytail. She had an average body type, despite playing Pokemon all hours of the day. Thanks to Pokemon Go, she had been walking outside a lot more often. Her outfit consisted of a basic blue tee shirt, under a worn gray cardigan, with a pair of knee length black shorts. She wore matching black crew socks and worn looking sneakers. Slung across her shoulder was a messenger bag, which contained her "Team".

When she had awakened, she had found a note alongside her bag. Apparently, the spheres contained within were "Pokeballs" and the creatures inside were "Pokemon". She had been given a list, containing the moves each one knew. She had a Gardevoir, a Dewgong, a Salamence, a Jolteon, a Greninja and finally her lead Pokemon, a Ninetales. She realized that it had been the same team she had used in her Omega Ruby game. Her battle team in fact. She hadn't called any of them out of their pokeballs, because she was to scared to see what horrible abominations had been left in her care.

"Um, excuse me...miss?"

Bethany turned to face her, an angry look on her face. She sighed, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Almost instantly, the temperature had begun falling, returning almost to normal. The islander gave the brunette a smile.

"Is something the matter Kanemoto? I didn't hurt you with my heat did I?" she asked. Kanemoto shook her head, glancing toward the window.

"No...it's just...I'm having a hard time accepting all of this. It's only been ten or so minutes since that last announcement. I woke up in that parking lot and made my way here. But you...you _melted _the fence and walked right in. What...what are you?" the girl asked. Bethany frowned, glancing away from the Pokemon Trainer.

"I'm not exactly sure...I've had a rough time lately. Ever since my dear sister Angie left Kuikawa Island, my life has been_...off._She passed away not long ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that Bethany, you have my condolences." Kanemoto said, bowing her head slightly.

"It's alright, I know she was guided to heaven by Atua himself. His holy light always shined brightest when she was around. I have faith that she's fine up in his holy land," she said, clasping her hands tightly.

"_Atua? What the hell is she talking about?" _the brunette thought, confusion written on her face. Bethany opened her eyes, giving the trainer a smile.

"You are confused...haven't you heard of Atua? He is a kind and benevolent god. Whenever you have lost your way, Atua is there to guide you! Perhaps you'd like to learn a few of his teachings?"

"Uh...no, sorry Bethany, I'm not exactly religious." Kanemoto said, politely turning her down. Rather than get angry, the young woman nodded.

"It's perfectly fine, I am not going to force my beliefs onto you. However, Atua is always open to newcomers. If you are ever interested, feel free to talk to me. As for your earlier question..." she paused, narrowing her eyes a bit. "I believe I was transformed into something else. I was once a human girl, living on Kuikawa Island, in the Pacific. During the great tragedy, a great many coups tried to ransack our island. Atua stopped them at every turn, conjuring powerful seas, and destroying their vessels."

"Wow, sounds to me like they had a run in with Kyogre!" the girl said excitedly. Bethany tilted her head in confusion.

"Kyogre? I don't believe I've ever heard of that creature. A-anyway, those waves always protected us. However one day, a small group manages to get onshore. We were held at gunpoint, after that...I don't exactly remember much." She said, placing a hand on her head. "When I awoke, I was on the other side if the island. I ended up burning down an entire forest."

"Jeez...if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were born in the Fire Nation!" Kanemoto cried, eyes wide in disbelief. Bethany held her hand out, a brilliant flame sparking to life. The girl let out a cry, falling off the crate she had been sitting on. Bethany increased the size of the flame, as well as the intensity of the flame, before finally putting it out.

"The old man said my body is as hot as the heart of a volcano. That I had the strength to control the very magma that flows beneath our feet. He named me the Ultimate Pele, a "Volcano Goddess". But don't be afraid! I'd never use these powers to hurt anyone!"

"Mhmm...whatever you say!" the pokemon trainer said, voice laced with fear. _"__Thank Atua I have a Dewgong in my party...wait a minute? Atua? Gah! She's already got me thinking of her god!"_

"Regardless of that, I believe we should heed Jibo Momota's warning. By the looks of it, it seems we're the unlikely victims of a killing game. One similar to the one that wretched my sister away from me. If we follow Atua's light, I'm certain we'll come out of this one alive! You'll see!" Bethany said cheerfully.

"Y-you're right! If anything, I can at least you my Pokemon friends to freeze that old man's nuts! He owes me for basically kidnapping me! Then again, he did offer me those rare candies...but those put me to sleep so..."

"Eh...maybe you shouldn't eat candy given to you by strangers. If that happens again, then I'll make sure they meet Atua as soon as possible!" the girl said firmly. Kanemoto sighed, somehow she knew the girl would most definitely keep her word.

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #1 (Cafeteria)**

**Time: 9:20PM**

**Date: August 1st 2020**

Daisuke had remained mostly silent since he had arrived at the Foundation site. He had steadily felt his adrenaline leaving his system, making his fatigue that much more noticeable. He had been wondering around an island for most of the day, exploring a musty cave and chased by a masked freak and rabid dogs. This break was definitely something he needed. Outwardly, he looked like he was resting, but his mind was racing. He was thinking of a great many things. Who were the others? Where they fine? Were they experiments like Charlotte, Nyx and Riku? Had they been kidnapped as well? He wanted answers to these questions but he knew he wasn't going to be getting them.

"Hey Daisuke, are you alright?"

"..."

"Yoohoo? Dais? Hello?"

"..."

Shiro sighed, deciding on a more radical approach. She took a hold of his hand, pressing it against her chest, urging him to squeeze. He finally reacted, following his arm until he saw his hand. He let out a scream, jumping to his feet. His chair clattered to the ground, causing the others to look in his direction. He clenched his hand, arm trembling slightly as he glared at the Executioner.

"Don't. Do. That!" he said firmly.

"Well, how else was I suppose to get your attention?" she teased, giving the boy a wink. He glared at her, standing firmly as he glared at her. Shiro didn't even bat an eye, despite him towering over her, she still maintained eye contact.

"Let me say this in a way that will stick to your brain. Pinch my nose, wave your hand in front of my eyes, fucking _slap_me. But do not. Do. That. Again!" he hissed, cheeks flushed crimson. Shiro gave him a nod.

"Whatever you say big guy. Anyway, now that I've got your attention, what are we gonna do?" she asked. The storyteller looked around, noticing six pairs of eyes on him. He wanted to shrink back a bit, but remained firm.

"_Man...I haven't had a case of agoraphobia in long time. I thought I was over that shit...why the hell are they looking at me? I'm no leader."_

"Daisuke, you know more about Jibo than any of us. You must know what he's planning, or have some idea." Charlotte said, clasping her hands together.

"Sadly I don't...I have no idea what that man is planning with all of us. I have no idea what this "Research Test" entails either. What I am certain about, is that we're going to face quite a lot of strife in the future." the storyteller said firmly.

"Tch...you mean to tell me you are resigning yourself to fate? That you are just gonna give up and take it?" Isabella snapped at the young man.

"Bella, please stay calm. Mackenzie is still recovering from blood loss, the noise will bother her," Nyx said, trying to quiet down the Shapeshifter.

"We don't want to exacerbate the situation okay? I know things are bad but we can't give up hope right?" Riku asked, trying to remain hopeful. Shiro giggled, cracking a soda can open with her teeth, gulping the fizzy drink down.

"Hate to break it to ya Mr. Pretty Kitty! But all of us here, and the others on this island are totally fucked! Jibo teamed up with Junko Enoshima in the past, you know...the bitch who ended the world? All of us are gonna die here. May as well accept it!"

"And you are okay with that?" Charlotte cried, glaring at the girl. Shiro just shrugged. "Well I'm not! I didn't volunteer to be turned into a fucking fish! I'm going to find Jibo and force him to turn me back. Then I'll get off this godforsaken spit of land! No one will force me to play in their sick games!"

"Hell yeah! I can't die either! What use is an executioner that ends up dying without designing a single death trap?" she cried, finishing the last of her drink. Mackenzie groaned, forcing herself to sit up. Nyx was instantly at her side, a look of worry on her face.

"Hey, you shouldn't strain yourself. You've lost quite a bit of blood so you need to save your energy," she said firmly. The painter nodded, pulling her legs over the edge of the table.

"So, what exactly is the plan then? Are we just gonna stick around and wait for us to die? That old man implied we weren't alone, so we're not even sure who the hell is out there right now." Isabella said, glancing around the room. Daisuke frowned, tapping his chin with a finger.

"Even if we had a plan, I doubt Jibo would let us go. Matter of fact, I wouldn't put it past him to have already sealed all of the doors, windows and exits. We'll just have to wait and see what the man is cooking up." he replied, leaning back against the table. "If there are others here, which I assume there are, we can't exactly leave them behind."

"Why not? Who cares about the others? Survival of the fittest!"

"That's wrong Bella! We should team up together against the ones running this game. If we work together, then we'll be able to defeat the mastermind! We'll all be able to get off this island and go home together!" Riku said cheerfully.

"Hopefully no one here is a psycho murderer or some shit. We don't need Freddie Kruger to start killing us in our sleep!" Charlotte said, earning a glare from Daisuke. She chuckled dryly, quickly looking away.

The cafeteria fell into an odd silence after that. No one had much to say, other than small talk. He had learned a bit about Nyx and Riku but Isabella wasn't budging. She didn't trust the storyteller, and he didn't blame her. Waking up on some random island, with several people, with a weird genetically modified talent was an odd occurrence. Charlotte and Nyx were lost in conversation, and Shiro was trying and failing to grab Riku's tail. Mackenzie however was sitting by herself, staring into space. He shrugged, deciding to have a chat with her.

"Hey Kenzie, you feeling better?" he asked softly. She blinked a few times, meeting eyes with the older boy. She gave him a small nod, glancing at her arm.

"I'm okay...a little bit scared but, I suppose we're all scared huh?"

"Mhmm...are you okay though? Those dogs didn't bite you or anything right?" the boy said, checking her over for more injuries. The blonde painter flushed, pushing his hand away.

"I'm fine Dais, really."

"S-sorry...it's just...when I saw you crying earlier, you reminded me of my sister. Whenever she got hurt, I didn't know what to do or how to react. I usually just put a bandaid on her cuts and kissed it, but I had never dealt with an open gash before,"

"I don't blame you, it's my own fault after all. If I hadn't locked up, I could have easily jumped that fence. I've...I've got to stop being afraid." Mackenzie said, though her tone betrayed her. The boy leaned against the table, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"It's okay to be afraid Kenzie. I'm scared too, scared of not knowing what to do. What's out there, and what we'll face. But I'll keep you safe okay? I promise."

"Thank you Daisuke. I promise to keep you safe too!" she said cheerfully, hugging the boy back. He was a bit surprised at her action, but decided to return the hug. He glanced up at Charlotte, who had been watching the two. She gave him a thumbs up, while Shiro just wiggled her brows suggestively.

"Guys, I hear footsteps!" Riku suddenly said, causing everyone to look toward the doors.

Isabella reached for her pistol, pulling the hammer back as she took aim at the door. Daisuke frowned at her action, but ended up doing the same, keeping his finger off the trigger. The two tensed when they saw a young woman striding into the cafeteria. She leaned against the door, her hand flying to her mouth.

"Fuck me...I hate chocolate," she said, as she held back her urge to puke.

Daisuke looked her up and down. She was a beautiful young lady, with dark coral pink hair styled into pigtailed ringlets. She had pale skin, and bright colored eyes. Her outfit consisted of a dark blue bouffant dress, with a dark orange ribbon sash tied around her waist, the excess hanging down behind her back. She had a flared orange skirt with white sparkles on it. Her legs were covered with by a pair of white stockings, her feet being adorned with blue heeled slippers.

"Wonderful! The maid is here, hey maid can you get me some food? Maybe something chocolate in it?" Shiro called out. At the sound of the word chocolate, the girl grabbed the nearby trash can and started barfing into it. "Was it something I said?" the executioner asked, confusion written on her face.

Nyx shortened the distance to the girl, briefly asking her if she was okay. She just gestured to her ponytails, which the girl grabbed and held behind her back while she cleared her stomach.

"Wonder what the hell she ate that made her start blowing chunks like that." Charlotte mumbled, earning a shrug from Daisuke.

"Whatever it is, it clearly isn't good. At least now we know we aren't truly alone in this place." the young man returned, lowering his gun. Once the new arrival had cleared her stomach, and drank some water, she straightened up. The green look on her face had vanished, and while sweaty, she looked a bit better.

"Sorry about that, I know first impressions are important. However after being forced to eat 4 cakes in a row, you forget any semblance of importance,"

"Who the hell eats 4 cakes? Why?" Isabella asked, her face contorted into a look of confusion.

"It wasn't as if I had a choice. The old man in charge told me if I wanted to leave my little prison, I had to eat a cake. And guess what, it wasn't an ordinary cake, oh no no! It was a mythical cake, that multiplied if you didn't eat ever. Single. Crumb! I swear, I am done with chocolate, forever!" the woman cried angrily. She clutched her stomach, groaning in pain. "I gotta sit down,"

"Excuse me miss, would you mind introducing yourself?" the Ultimate Neko asked, ears twitching slightly as he looked at the girl. She gave him a once over, briefly wondering if the boy standing before her was real.

"Pardon my lack of manners. My name is Haruna Shirai, I happen to be the Ultimate Hostess. I don't know what I'm doing on this island, the old man told me the ship I was on sunk. I was rescued and brought here, then forced to eat a mythical cake."

"Your ship sunk?" Mackenzie asked curiously.

"Did you manage to launch the lifeboats? Did you get a rescue pack? A radio? Anything that we can use to contact the outside?" Isabella cried, interrupting the painter.

"I don't know...I don't remember. One moment, I was serving our guests aboard the Majestic Princess, the next I wake up here. The last thing I remember was the captain informing the crew of a storm in our path. I guess it was caused by some floating island in the sky," the hostess replied, sitting down on the chair Nyx had given her.

"A floating island in the sky?" Daisuke asked, reiterating what the hostess had said. She gave him a nod, taking another gulp of her water.

"You know, despite everything that's happened in the world, I still find things like this hard to believe," Charlotte added, twirling a strand of hair around her fingertip.

"Uh...is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?" Mackenzie suddenly said, causing the others to look at her. She was fanning herself with her hand, her forehead glimmering with sweat. Daisuke licked his lips, having noticed they had gone dry. He had also noticed Charlotte had downed two bottles of water rather quickly.

"Now that you mention it, it is getting a bit hot in here." Riku said, ears flat against his head as he started panting. Shiro tugged on her shirt, a wiping some sweat away with her sleeve.

"I can't believe it...we're all getting so hot and sweaty... should we start taking our clothes off?"

"Do you ever take anything seriously?" Isabella asked, glaring at the executioner, who just gave her a wink. Everyone looked toward the doors, spotting another pair of young women making their way into the cafeteria.

"See, I knew we weren't the only ones here!" the brunette said happily, giving the blonde a smile.

"So it would seem. The light of Atua has guided us towards other survivors on this island! I'm so pleased to meet you all, I assure you we'll be off this island in no time!" the dark skinned girl said happily, a grin on her face.

"_Oh joy, another nut. The name Atua sounds familiar though...wait a minute, I've heard that before!" _Daisuke thought, his eyes shifting back to the girl.

"And that's Haruna, she's a bit sick after eating a lot of cake. What about you two? What are your names?" Charlotte asked, having introduced everyone else to the girls. Daisuke took a step forward before either could speak.

"Is your last name Yonaga?"

"It is...do you know of me?" the girl asked, becoming a bit defensive. He shook his head, glancing away from the girl.

"I knew your sister. I'm a former student of Hope's Peak Academy, class 77-A to be in fact. I wasn't around when they decided to lock themselves in Hope's Peak," he said. The girl bowed her head slightly, her hair shielding her face.

"We're you close with my sister?" she asked softly.

"We were friends yes, she was always so excited, wanting to share the word of Atua with everyone. Despite me not having any beliefs, she did convince me to visit the school chapel for her sermons. I'm so sorry for your loss,"

"Thank you...I'm just glad simply knowing a person connected to my sister. My name is Bethany, it's very nice to meet you Daisuke. May Atua's light always guide your path." she said cheerfully. The girl slipped off one of her many bracelets, wrapping it around his wrist. He noticed the small charm attached to it, a bobble which he assumed was Atua. He gave her a nod, shifting his gaze to the other girl.

"Oh uh...I'm Kanemoto Mizuki! The world's first ever Pokemon Trainer! I haven't called anyone out, but I assure you they're all legit Pokemon!" the brunette said.

"Pokemon? Actual Pokemon? First I'm brought to this shithole, then I'm told about a floating island. Now I'm standing here, hearing someone talk about video game creatures as if they're real. Seriously, how are you all so gullible?" Isabella cried, earning a sigh from Riku.

"Come on Bella, you have to be more open. We're in a weird situation aren't we? That means anything is possible! If she says she has Pokemon, then she has Pokemon!" he said, turning to the brunette. "Come on, let's see one! I've always wanted to meet a real honest to goodness Pokemon!"

"Oh uh...I guess I can do that...I mean I have to call them out sometime." Kanemoto said, reaching into her bag. She pulled out a red and white sphere from within. It didn't exactly look like a "Pokeball" but it served its purpose. She pressed the center button and threw it into the air, watching curiously as it snapped open.

A beautiful fox emerged from within, stretching all of its limbs. It was only a couple feet tall, with cream colored fur, and nine long tails. It opened its eyes glancing around the room for a moment, getting a bit defensive. Kanemoto let out a squeal as she knelt before the creature, hugging it tightly.

"Oh my GOSH! A real life Ninetales! I can't believe it, she looks exactly like she would in the anime! This is everything I've ever wanted!"

"Well...she was telling the truth." the neko said, glancing back at Isabella who had a look of disbelief on her face. She sighed, turning away from everyone.

"I'm gonna check the kitchen...it's getting a bit crowded in here and I need a minute to myself." she said, turning toward the kitchen doors. Daisuke watched her go, a frown on his face. He felt someone tugging on his shirt, and glanced over his shoulder, noticing it was Mackenzie, trying to get his attention.

"I lost all of my drawing stuff in the woods. Do you have any blank sheets of paper? I'd like to sketch Ninetales and Kanemoto out." she said softly. He gave her a smile, reaching into his bag for his tome, flipping to one of the blank pages. He handed her a few pencils and some erasers as well. "Here, you can draw all you want in the back pages. I doubt I'll suddenly get inspired to write anything anytime soon."

"Thank you." she said softly.

"You're welcome Kenzie,"

**_xxx_**

**Location: Undisclosed**

**Time: 9:30PM**

**Date: August 1st 2020**

"How is everything?" the Ultimate Biologist asked, tearing his eyes away from the screens. He was maintaining a careful eye over the cameras, showing him every square inch of the SCP Foundation Site. His assistant gave him a small smirk, taking a sip from his drink.

"Project Recovery is ready to enter the testing phrase. Subject A113 seems to be the only one responsive." the man replied. Jibo nodded, glancing at a particular screen. It was showing a large pod room, located withing the Foundation Site.

"A113...one of the bodies recovered from one of the previous games. She was a resilient one, but sadly she met her end rather early. I was rather disappointed with the turn out, despite how it ended. I'm sure Yukiko will endeavor to create a better game in the future."

"Master, I must ask...why go through all this trouble? Just for one man? What's so important about Del Rio that makes you want to waste funds on him?"

Jibo turned to face him, reaching for his cane. He let out a loud hacking cough. His assistant gave him a look of concern, walking up to help him only for the man to softly push him away.

"I'm alright son, this cancer is starting to get the best of me. But I assure you, I will finish my experiments before my death." he replied. He rested his weight on his cane, placing an arm behind his back. "Now, to answer your question, it's rather simple. Hiyoko requested that I drive her lover to despair. She was a sick twisted young woman, filled with Enoshima's ideals. But she had spunk, and she did lead an excellent game."

"The Horizon Station wouldn't have gotten anywhere without her, I will admit. I however wasn't expecting the survivors of the station to end up on the Lunar Surface. Funny how life works huh?"

"Indeed...life is always full of surprises. Syd, I've already decided...if something happens to me, you have full authority here on Hora Island. You are free to do as you wish with the experiments as well. I'm certain you'll end up doing a great many things here," Jibo said, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder. He nodded thankfully.

"I appreciate it Master...but you didn't exactly answer my question...why did you bring Daisuke here? Truly?" Syd asked. The Ultimate Biologist's eyes landed on a particular screen, showing the current feed of the SCP Site Cafeteria.

"I see potential in the boy. He has an odd sense of justice, and I have been keeping up on his odd behaviors. It seems he can talk himself into behaving like another person. Do you not find it interesting, now a person can use their voice to talk themselves into doing something they normally wouldn't do?" the man asked.

"I suppose I do. People have the ability to talk themselves and their friends into doing a lot of things. Sometimes with some liquid courage, other times my sheer psyche itself. Am I to assume he's another one of your research pieces?"

"Yes...there are various things that interest me about the boy. But one in particular stood out, and you are acutely aware of which one. I've made that side of him a bit more material. Now, we allow him to run around the island, acting like a leader and a hero. It won't be long until this game makes him snap. And then we will be truly greeted by a marvelous sight! The birth of a being stronger than a mere mortal man, and it will all be in his head." Jibo said, a grin splitting his face. Syd narrowed his eyes, realization appearing on his face.

"I get it...Junko Enoshima turned Hiyoko Saionji to despair. Made her a protoge of sorts. She implanted her ideals by brainwashing her. You intend to do the same with Daisuke, don't you? Saionji's final request was to turn him to despair in her stead, wasn't it?"

"Heh...I'll allow you to figure that out yourself." he paused, a loud beeping filling the room. He moved toward the panel, noticing one of the pods was ready to be opened. He smiled reaching for the button. "It seems her time has come. It seems the Ultimate Samebito and the Ultimate Eldrict are ready to welcome a former graduate back to the land of the living,"

The old man pressed the button, ceasing the incessant beeping, finally throwing the room into silence.

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #3 (Pod Room)**

**Time: 9:35PM**

**August 1st 2020**

"Excuse me sir? Are you okay?" a voice softly called out. Diego let out a small groan as his eyes slowly opened. His vision was a bit blurred, but he managed to see a figure in front of him. His vision cleared, finally allowing him to see the one that had spoken to him. A large humanoid shark. He let out a surprised yelp, backing away from the creature.

"It's alright, no need to be scared! I won't hurt you!" he said cheerfully. Diego placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat wildly in his chest.

The Ultimate Samebito held a smile on his face, despite his monstrous form, he was trying to remain upbeat. He was a very tall young man, standing at a whopping 7 feet, 5 inches. He had a mop of black hair atop his head, with bright ruby red streaks, flowing down onto his shoulders. His skin was a light to dark gray in color, and he had a large black tipped dorsal fin growing out of his back. He was wearing a pair of swim trunks. Diego also took notice of his hospital gown and blue bathrobe. He also noticed the small shark plush that was sticking out of the front pocket of the robe.

"_Dios mio, what the hell is going on?" _the boy thought, glancing around the room.

He took notice of the glowing pods in the room. The entire area seemed to be aglow with green light. Each pod was made of a shiny stainless steel material, thick cables connecting to a large supercomputer. There were a few tables nearby, with what looked like operation tools. The brown haired boy slowly stood up, taking a calming breath.

"Uh...sorry about screaming...I uh...wasn't expecting a giant shark." he said. The Samebito shook his head, giving him a grin.

"It's fine, I didn't mean to scare you! My name is Seisha Dekishi by the way. I'm the Ultimate Samebito! Nice to meet ya!" Seisha said, happily holding his hand out. Diego noticed his clawed fingers, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Guess introductions would be good. I'm Diego Garcia, I'm just a normal person. No ultimate talent or anything like that...what uh...what do you think is going on here?"

"I'm not sure...there was an old man talking earlier. He said something about a cafeteria, and a game. We have until 10PM before the experiment begins." the samebito said, his smile shifting into a frown. Diego looked at him oddly, brows furrowed in confusion.

"_Experiment? Old Man? Great...I just had to take a nap didn't I?" _the boy thought sarcastically. He glanced at the wall-clock, seeing it was only 9:37PM.

"Did you take a look around? There might be someone else here that might need help."

"Sorry...I found you on the floor and decided to watch over you. All of these pods are empty." Seisha said, gesturing to the pods. Diego nodded, taking a few steps forward.

"I'll take a quick look around. If we don't find anyone then we'll head to the cafeteria." he said. Seisha nodded, deciding to follow the brunette.

Diego remained silent as he looked around. The walls of the room were all decked out with machinery he had never seen before. All of them were containing pods. He wondered briefly what the pods were for, but considering there was a talking half human, half shark with him, he was quickly able to connect the dots. He passed by a mirror, pausing briefly to take in his appearance.

He was wearing a plain white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He was wearing a bright yellow cape that reached down to his ankles, something he never remembered wearing before. He wore a pair of khaki pants and black dress shoes. His hair was neatly brushed, despite having been sleeping on the floor a few moments prior. His light brown eyes focused on the scar that crossed his face, and he briefly traced it with a fingertip. He shook his head, glancing back at Seisha, who also seemed to be taking his appearance in.

"Something wrong big guy?"

"N-no...I wasn't this tall before...I was actually a lot smaller. But this neat! I'm super strong now!" the samebito said, flexing his muscles. Diego shook his head, deciding to continue his exploration.

"This is weird...do you remember how you got here?"

"Sorry Diego, I don't remember exactly how I got here. I do remember waking up in one of those pods. I walked around for a few minutes and then I found you." the gray skinned lad replied.

"I see...you didn't find anyone else did you? Perhaps a girl a couple years older than me?"

"Nope...you looking for your sister?"

"Not exactly...I was just wondering, maybe Alejandra was brought here too, where ever _here _is." Diego replied. The two arrived in a new area of the room, both noticing how cold it had suddenly gotten. Diego shivered a bit, his eyes focusing on the walls, which were decked out with steel doors and thermostats, all of them being set to -28 Degrees.

"I don't like where this is going," he mumbled, as he approached one of the doors. He grabbed a hold of the handle, jerking it upward before pulling the door open, a thick mist emerging from within.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Diego pulled the gurney out, seeing nothing but a white sheet. When he pulled it down, he nearly gagged. The body laying on the gurney was already decaying, and seemed to be in the end of the first stage of decay. He noticed the body was that of a female, with bright orange hair. The body was missing its legs, and one of its arms. He couldn't recognize any features at all. He quickly covered the boy, pushing the gurney back in, briefly glancing at the tag.

"Mallory Walsh...I don't know what happened to you, but I do hope you've found peace." he said softly, rapidly closing the door.

"I'm gonna be sick." Seisha mumbled, holding back his urge to vomit. The two let out a yelp as a loud hiss filled the room, they hastily turned around, noticing one of the pods was opening. They heard a light thud a second later, along with a small groan. The smoke cleared a bit, allowing them to see the person that had emerged from the pod.

"Hey, are you alright miss?" Diego asked, causing her to look up. She gave them a look of confusion, looking around the room.

"Huh...what...where am I?"

Seisha and Diego shared a look, both of them having equal looks of concern.

Diego knelt before the girl, checking her over for any injuries. He had to admit she was quite the looker. Her long blonde hair was tied into a lengthy side ponytail, which reached down to her waist. She had fair colored skin, and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a dark violet leotard, underneath a short-sleeved blue jacket. She was wearing a matching skirt, with circus-themed patterns printed on the fabric. The boy noticed the scar she had across her neck, as if her throat had been slashed in the past, but was hastily stitched together.

Along with that, he noticed similar scars on her arm, and one on her leg. In fact, he noticed her left leg had been replaced by a bionic prosthetic, which was dark gray and black in color. Despite that, she still wore cute heeled slippers on her feet. Her eyes were a bit glassy and unfocused, as she stared past the two.

"Are you okay? Do you need some water?" Seisha asked, reaching into his pocket for a bottle of water. Diego looked at him, slightly annoyed since he wasn't offered water when he woke up.

"No...I'm fine, it's just...do you know where I am? I remember being in the garden with Mikhail. I was...looking for Mallory's Monopad when...Dylan he..." the girl paused, clutching her throat. Her eyes were wide in fear, hyperventilating as she backed away from the two.

"She's having a panic attack, shit. Seisha hand me that water," Diego said, causing the samebito to hand him the bottle. The brunette grabbed a hold of the blonde girl, pulling her hands away from her throat.

"Here, have some water. Everything is fine, just stay calm and breath through your nose." he said softly. She gave him a nod, taking a hold of the bottle, squeezing it a bit too tightly. She downed its contents in a few seconds, calming down slightly.

"T-thank you. It's just...the last time I was awake, I had my throat slashed,"

"You died?" Seisha asked, earning a nod from the girl.

"I think...I don't know...all I remember was a sharp pain, and a lot of gushing. I passed out right after...it might've just been a bad dream. Where is this? Is this the cryo-chamber?" she asked curiously.

"The cryo-what? No...we're in a pod room...and a morgue. Admittedly, I don't know where we are. Seisha, did that old man you spoke of say where this is?" the brunette said, glancing up at the Samebito.

"He said this was SCP Foundation Site...11037, I think. He said we're on Hora Island."

"Hora Island huh? So he actually did go through with it," the blonde mumbled, lowering her gaze slightly.

"What was that?"

"Hmm...it's nothing, I was just gathering my thoughts. Anyway, I wanna thank you! You managed to calm me down relatively quickly. I'm ashamed of myself, after so many years doing trapeze shows and working with animals, I still get spooked by a bad dream." she said, jumping to her feet. The two young men backed away as she patted down her skirt.

"Well...the circumstances may not be ideal but...I'm Diego, and this is Seisha. It's a pleasure to meet you miss," the boy said, holding his hand out. The girl nodded, giving him a smile.

"It's nice to meet you too! My name is Miyaki Hanao, I'm the Ultimate Circus Performer! I hope we become the best of friends!"

**_xxx(End of Prologue 3)xxx_**

_**Remaining Test Subjects: 22**_

**A/N: Well it has been a long time since the last update hasn't it? I've been sitting here stewing in my return. And I must admit, it has been quite the interesting wait. I've taken this time to scheme away and create an enjoyable (Albeit Despairfilled) story for all of you to read. Now if you wanna file a complaint, tear me a new one or anything of the sort, please join the Legacy of Despair discord, where you can do so in public! I assure you, you might not enjoy where that conversation goes haha.**

**In all seriousness, thank you all so much for being so patient. I know I started this story just so that I could have my hands in the Legacy of Despair pot. However I am truthfully enjoying myself. It's no surprise that I enjoy House of Horrors quite a lot, and its my favorite in the LoD series, though Final Horizon, Sea of Tranquility and Kuma-Kuma Land are in the top as well. I do hope this inspires you to not only give the series a read but maybe join the discord if you haven't already. We'll welcome you with open arms and despair cookies!**

**Now, a few announcements for the story. Originally, I did have the cast list set at 17, but for reasons that I will not explain here, it has been raised to 22. Worry not, those that have already received Tickets will not be affected, I just want to have slots to accommodate the plot. Crit Fail has been quite lenient when it comes to this prologue. Essentially allowing me to do anything I want as long as it fits within the realm of Hora Island, I want to have some extra slots for new OC's created solely for this story. You never know what may happen, and I do need plenty of Mooks to kill. However the Ocs I have gotten from my Ticket holders are my top priority. You are all very talented people and I am happy to be getting awesome characters from you all. I do truthfully hope we can all work together again in the future.**

**I do not know when I'll be coming up with the fourth and hopefulyl final prologue. I still have some Ocs that need to be submitted before I do continue. However, I will say the submission date for all Ticket holders is May 15****th****2019 at exactly 11:59PM EST. However if you are still working on one past that time, I will give you a One Week extension, but after that week is up, I sadly will have to revoke your invitation. Despair waits for no one, hyuk hyuk hyuk...**

**One last thing before I go. I am happy to announce that a few new sidestories have popped up in LoD! The first is called Tomb of Misery, being written by the lovely PettyPunk. So show her some love and maybe send her an OC if you have the time. The second is a story being written by Bellatrixshine called Beast's Maze. Bella is also in need of Ocs so be sure to check out her profile for all of the details. And finally the main man himself Crit Fail has also started his own Spin off series to his...series...hmm...**

**Anyway, his spin off is called Versailles Academy, and it is quite the fancy story. It's gotten quite a lot of OC submissions since it's announcement and I'm sure the list will grow before it closes. So if you wanna throw an OC his way, please do. I assure you, they will have a fun time. I'm always so happy to see this community keep growing! It's exciting to see what everyone is cooking up! **

**Finally before I go, I would like to dedicate this chapter in its entirety to Alto, who created one of my favorite OC's in LoD, Shiro Hayashi. It has been a blast being able to write for Shiro, and I can't wait to see more in the future. Alto has been working with Petty and Crit drawing amazing art for LoD. This girl is crazy talented, and a real sweetheart too. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you Alto for all of the awesome work you do for LoD, which I sadly can't elaborate on, but I'm sure everyone will see in the future.**

**That's it...all of my announcements in one long ass Authors Note. Again I don't know when I'm going to post Prologue Four, but Hopefully Soon. So I hope you all return for that soon! It won't be long until this fic starts in earnest. Shoutouts to Prince PokePersona, Magus1108, MudkipOfDespair, PettyPunk and TJMike who's OC's all debuted in this chapter. Thanks a lot you guys!**


	5. P4: Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

_Prelude 4_

Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 Building #1 **

**Time: 9:20PM**

**Date: August 1****st**** 2020**

_**xxx**_

Eris was not amused. She hadn't been expecting to wake up on some island, in some facility with snakes on her head. She had been standing in place for more than a few minutes, glaring at the television monitor. When she volunteered for the Artificial Ultimate Program, she had been expecting to receive her requested talent. After all, she had done several bad things in the past. She desired atonement, with every fiber of her being, but she hadn't been expecting to be turned into a gorgon. The former talentless young woman had instead been turned into a creature straight out of Greek Mythology.

She was once a normal young lady, being nineteen years of age. She had lightly tanned skin, brilliant colored eyes and long brown tresses that reached down to her mid back. She wouldn't say she had a natural hour glass figure, but she did have curves in all the right places. All of that changed the moment she had woken up on Hora Island. Her once caramel colored skin, was now tinted a light green and covered in scales, akin to that of a serpent. Her body shape hadn't changed much, other than the fact she had sprung up, now being six feet tall. The most obvious feature that had changed was her hair.

She had a head full of snakes. Living, breathing, _hissing _snakes. It wasn't bad enough that she had been turned into a gorgon, but she also got all the perks. She hated snakes, absolutely detested them. She even feared them. After seeing so many people die of snake bites, she had decided to stay away from the constricting reptiles. It was just karma that she had been given a head full of snakes. She glanced away from the television at the sound of thunder. The building that she was in was partially destroyed, exposing it to the elements.

The once clear skies were now filled with a thick cloud cover. The breeze was starting to pick up as well. Signs of a coming storm. The only section in this area that had caved in was the ceiling, as if something was contained there and had escaped. She honestly didn't want to know what had been kept in there. But due to all of the claw marks on the concrete walls and the broken chains, she assumed it was something big.

Her head jerked to the right, eyes glaring at the other end of the room. Her snakes were hissing loudly, almost communicating with the young woman. She didn't know what, but there was something there, she wasn't alone. She shivered a bit as she walked forward, her light jacket was doing nothing against the cold breeze. The only sound, save for her hissing snakes, was the sound of her heels, clacking loudly against the concrete ground.

She came to a stop at a darkened corner, the flickering bulb did nothing to shed light on it. However, due to her new abilities, she could easily see in the dark. The figure looked up, breath hitching slightly as he met eyes with the gorgon.

"S-stay away! You don't want to get near me!" he exclaimed, causing the young woman to quirk a brow.

"Why not? You know we're in a precarious situation right? It may help us to work together. I'm sure you heard what that old man said right?" Eris asked. The figure nodded, sinking back slightly into his corner.

"Lo se! I understand but...I don't want anyone to see me...I'm a horrible monster! Soy un demonio!" he cried in his native tongue. The gorgon closed her eyes for a moment, taking a breath to calm herself.

"Listen...I assure you, you aren't a demon. If anything, you are just like me...someone who was turned into something else. Against their will. I got snakes on my head for godsakes. Whatever happened to you cannot be worse than being turned into Medusa."

"I beg to differ,"

"Fine...I suppose I'll take my leave then. Though if what that old man said is true, then his experiments are running rampant across this island. If you don't mind being alone with whatever is out there, then I'll go." Eris said, turning toward the door. The boy cried out, grabbing a hold of her hand.

"Wait, don't leave!"

The woman looked back, noticing the hand that had grabbed her wrist. His hands were pitch black in color, his fingers topped with sharp looking claws. She noticed a wide myriad of scars on his forearm as well, slash marks and jagged skin all over it. She turned to fully face him, the young man withdrawing his hand, slinking back into the shadows.

"Okay...I'll stay awhile longer. But you have to cooperate with me...please. Whatever happened to you, it isn't bad. If you're scared of being judged, then trust me, you are barking at the wrong tree. I got snakes on my head, remember?" the gorgon said, giving the figure a smile. He nodded, forcing himself to stand up. He finally left the shadows, causing Eris to back away.

Standing before her was a very tall young man easily towering over her. He had caramel colored skin, though his arms were a charred black from the elbow down, littered with various scars and cuts. He had an athletic body, his torso covered by a polo shirt. He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, and navy boat shoes. Eris noticed he was wearing a hoodie as well, raised over his head, though she could see two protrusions at either side of his head. She gave him a smile, placing her hand on her hip.

"See, all that scaredy cat bullshit was for nothing. You look perfectly normal!"

"N-normal? Look at me! They turned me into a demon!" he cried out, making Eris roll her eyes.

"Yes, and I can turn shit to stone now. Trust me, it could be a lot worse...you look very normal. Even with the scars and charred looking arms. Now then, introductions are in order...my name is Eris Stone, former talentless hack, newly branded Ultimate Gorgon. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." she said, holding her hand out.

"Jose Muerto." he replied in a thick Spanish accent. He took a hold of the girl's hand, giving it a shake.

"Well Jose, we're in quite an interesting situation. That man, Jibo...he said we were in an abandoned SCP Foundation Site. You ever hear of them?" Eris asked curiously, directing her gaze toward the large hole in the ceiling. It had started to rain a bit, the water pouring into the room in droves.

"Not really...all I heard were creepypastas. Me and my friends...we used to stay up at night listening to that stuff growing up. I always thought it was mierda, but I didn't think it'd be true." the Ultimate Demon said, looking away from the gorgon. Eris sighed, turning back toward the door.

"Well, we have to be at the cafeteria by 10 for some test. We may as well start going there. The last thing we want is to get killed because we didn't follow the rules." she said. Jose nodded, following the gorgon out of the room.

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 Building #1 (Cafeteria)**

**Time: 9:45PM**

**Date: August 1****st ****2020**

"I'm getting worried," Daisuke said softly. Mackenzie looked up from her drawing, pursing her lips a bit. Since the arrival of Haruna, Kanemoto and Bethany, things had gotten a bit more lively. Daisuke had remained away from everyone, choosing to stick with Charlotte and Mackenzie, after what had happened, he trusted them more than anyone else.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. He sighed, leaning back against the table.

"It's a quarter to ten, and people haven't shown up yet. Knowing Jibo, he'd likely start the test, even if people aren't present. I don't want anyone here to get hurt, or worse by that man."

"Why are you so worried huh? Do you actually think that old man will do something to us?" Shiro asked, causing the two to look at her. She had been sitting on Mackenzie's right, her legs swinging as she sipped on her soda.

"He went through the trouble of doing all this right? He kidnapped a few of us, lied to some others. Hell, look at what he turned Bethany into, a freaking volcano goddess. If I get wet, I sprout legs, and Isabella told Riku that she's a shapeshifter. Her body is unstable and she could turn into goop at any moment." the Ultimate Siren said, causing the storyteller to frown.

"Hmm...wait a minute, did you all meet Jibo? Like in person?" Daisuke asked, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Of course I did. When I woke up on the other side of the island, he told me that I had been brought here for a reason. He said Atua's light guided me onto his path, and that I had been selected to receive a great power. I didn't know that meant turning me into a goddess," Bethany snapped angrily. Her skin started glowing slightly, the tips of her hair changing slightly in color.

"I volunteered for this, as you know. I wanted to be given an Ultimate talent, so that I could sing like Sayaka Maizono. I didn't think he'd turn me into a siren,"

"You are an idiot Charlotte, why the hell would you do that? Join some sketchy program with the promise of being turned into a star? Get real." the shapeshifter said angrily.

"Then what about you? What lead you to come here of all places Isabella?" Haruna asked curiously.  
"It wasn't by choice, I'll have you know."

"Sadly it isn't a better reason than mine, I was essentially kidnapped. My first meeting with that man was through a television screen." the hostess replied.

"I will admit, I was quite careless. I was walking home and playing on my gameboy. This van pulled up beside me, asked me if I wanted to become a real trainer and whisked me away," Kanemoto said, her focus solely on brushing Ninetales. She looked up, noticing the looks she was being given. "What?"

"Kanemoto, didn't your mom ever tell you not to get into strange cars?" Riku asked curiously.

"Yes, even I was told that as a kid. I would never dare jump into some randy's car," Shiro added, a hint of seriousness in her voice. Kanemoto sighed, scratching her cheek which was rapidly growing crimson.

"I was a bit too excited you know? The man said he had made real life Pokemon. What pokemon fan wouldn't want to see real life pokemon?"

"I guess that's true. I know if someone told me I'd be meeting Roald Dahl, I'd probably hop in that van too," Daisuke replied.

"Whatever lead us here, one thing is certain. All of us have met Jibo Momota at one point in time. Do you wonder why that is? What makes us so special that he'd personally meet us all? Not only that, all the maps we were given have the SCP Site marked." Nyx said, causing everyone to look in her direction. Everyone gathered around her, seeing the top of one of the tables was loaded with maps. She had written the names of those who the maps belonged too, neatly placing them next to each other.

"The halfling is right. Every single map has a path that leads straight here, the other areas are shaded out. Now that I think about it, when me, Riku and Nyx woke up, we were about a quarter mile from here. In a rather fancy log cabin. We spoke briefly with Jibo on a Ham Radio, and he directed us here," Isabella said, earning a few murmurs from the group.

"S-so he intended f-for us to all meet here?" Mackenzie asked shakily, hugging Daisuke's storybook tightly. The Shapeshifter gave her a nod, her ever changing eyes shifting back towards the maps.

"So it would seem. It's likely that we'll get another map once we pass his test. One that has another area for us to explore. This island is vast, as we all know. It is filled with other experiments, failed lab-rats set free on the land. That means if we wish to escape this island, we'll have to find a means of escape."

"Well, that's gonna be a tough one. I'm sure even if we find a way to leave, it will be made impossible for us." Charlotte said, crossing her arms over her chest. Bethany sighed, shaking her head.

"If we keep being pessimistic then we'll never get off this island. We must trust in Atua's guidance. He'll lead us to a safe way out of this island."

"You honestly believe some false god is gonna save our lives?" Shiro spat, causing the islander to face her.

"What did you just say?"

"I'm speaking the truth. All of us were brought to his island for a reason. That means we're gonna have to fight tooth and nail to get out of here alive. And no false god is going to help us. Not Jesus, not Buddha and not Atua," the executioner returned. Bethany hissed angrily, her skin beginning to glow. She started walking toward the girl who didn't back down. Daisuke stood before the two, panting a bit due to the heat.

"Bethany don't do this, I know not everyone has the same beliefs as you. She didn't mean to offend you okay?"

"I...alright, fine,"

"Shiro, you should apologize to Bethany. I know you might not have the same beliefs as her, but you should at least respect her. We're in a bad way already, we don't need to exacerbate things by fighting among ourselves," the storyteller said. Shiro sighed, giving him a nod. She glanced at Bethany, holding her hand out.

"I'm sorry...I know sometimes I act aloof and hyper, but it's own way to cope with things. I truly didn't mean to offend you." she said apologetically. Bethany sighed, allowing her hand to cool down before slowly grabbing Shiro's.

"I understand, I know not everyone believes what I believe. But I know Atua's light will keep us all safe and sound."

"_I truly doubt it, but okay...whatever you say weirdo!" _Shiro thought to herself, holding back the urge to grin.

"Not to put a damper on anything but, the way I see it, we need a ship right? Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to go find one?" Riku asked. His tail flicked back and forth nervously.

"I don't think that'll be possible."

"Hmm...why not Daisuke?" Mackenzie asked. He sighed, glancing up at the ceiling.

"When I met Momota on the beach, he told me we couldn't leave the island. That if we tried to, we'd be torn apart by a nasty creature. I'm not sure if he was bluffing, but I'd rather not find out." he replied. Thunder crackled loudly, causing everyone to jump. They all looked towards the barred windows, seeing them being pricked with raindrops.

"As if our night couldn't get any worse."

"At least we're inside right? We don't want you sprouting a tail on us Charlie, I don't think I'm strong enough to carry you!" Shiro said jokingly, earning a glare from the siren.

"I'm gonna take a quick look around. There isn't much time before ten o'clock. If there are others then I'll direct them to the cafeteria." Daisuke said, drawing his pistol from his belt. He checked it over, flicking the flashlight on.

"Don't be stupid! Why are you risking your life for people you don't know?" Isabella cried, earning a smirk from the boy.

"I didn't think you'd actually start caring about me. I'm surprised! 45 minutes do make a difference!" he said. The girl hissed angrily, looking away from him.

"Que te folle un pez, idiota!" _(I hope you get fucked by a fish)_

"Ay que bonito. Ohala te parta un rayo." _(How sweet! I hope you get struck by lightning)_

"What are they saying? Can you translate?" Shiro asked, glancing at Riku. He just gave the girl an odd look.

"Don't look at me, I don't speak Spanish!"

"Daisuke, can I come with you?" Mackenzie asked, causing the man to shake his head.

"No, I want you to stay here Kenzie. You lost a lot of blood earlier, and I don't want you to pass out on me."

"Please! I don't want you going alone...Nyx is it okay if I go?" the painter asked, glancing at the Halfling, who had been acting as the nurse for the last half hour. She shook her head, a frown on her face.

"I'm sorry Mackenzie. You're still recovering, you'll have to give it another couple hours to replace the blood you lost. However if you'd like, I can accompany Daisuke. I'll keep an eye on him, and if someone is hurt I can heal them too!" she said.

"O-okay...you'll be back soon right?"

"Yep! Don't you worry Kenzie, everything will be just fine. Keep an eye on Shiro okay? The last thing I want is for her to turn Riku into a puppet or some shit," the storyteller said, giving her a pat on the head. He felt a tap on his shoulder, noticing it had been Charlotte who held his messenger bag out to him.

"I put some water bottles in there, along with some bandages Isabella found. Just in case the others are hurt, be careful okay? And do hurry back, you got 12 minutes."

"Thanks, don't you worry. We'll be back lickity split!" he said, giving her a salute. He gestured to Nyx who followed after him, the two leaving the cafeteria soon after.

"Hey Riku, have you heard of that J-Pop idol that sprung up not that long ago? Rika Nyan Nyan?" Shiro asked boisterously, causing the boy to tilt his head.

"Not really. I don't really listen to J-Pop."

"What? How can you not have heard of Rika Nyan Nyan? That's an insult to the great nation of Nippon! Come on, you must have heard one of her songs! It's Nyan Nyan Time! Sound familiar?" the gyaru asked, further confusing the boy.

"Again, I don't listen to J-Pop."

"Aw, you're no fun. You remind me so much of her, and she's super cute just like you! I think I'll call you Rika from now on. Since I love her music so much!"

"No...please don't do that."

"Rika Nyan Nyan!"

"Kill me," the neko mumbled under his breath.

_**xxx**_

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 Building #4 (Staff Room)**

**Time: 9:35PM**

**Date: August 1****st ****2020**

"Let me out of here dammit! I swear when I get out, I'm gonna roast you alive!"

The young man licked his finger, flipping to the next page. His orange colored eyes traced the words carefully written. He wasn't at all bothered by the incessant shouting of the woman with him. In fact, he was doing his best to ignore her, having found his book much more interesting at the moment.

"Hey, are you gonna help me or are you just gonna sit there?" the woman cried. The man said nothing, flipping to the next page of his book. "Hello? Are you deaf? Come on, I know you can hear me."

"Yes, I can hear you perfectly fine."

"Then why didn't you respond?"

"Because truthfully, I was trying to ignore you," he haphazardly replied, not bothering to look up from the book.

Truthfully, even if he did want to help her, this book was just too interesting to put down. The scrawny lad ignored the stream of swears that flew from the undignified young lady who started banging on the door once more. The rings on his sleeves moved with every single flip of a page. He was content, glad that he had decided to wear his coat as the atmosphere had rapidly grown cold.

"_I can't believe I'm stuck here with this asshat. Hasn't fuckin done shit since we woke up, what the fuck?" _Mariana hissed as she glared at the door. Nothing but her reflection looked back at her, as the door was made of stainless steel.

She had been quite frightened when she had woken up. She had felt a foreign weight on her back, and realized she now had a large pair of wings growing from her back. Draconic, crimson colored wings, with spikes growing out of the ends, and a fabric leather felt that held them together. She had thought they were fake until she had accidentally moved them.

Having looked at her reflection, she realized her body had remained mostly the same, though she had crimson scales in various areas. Around the shoulders and below her elbows. Her entire chest was covered in thick scales, ending just below her breasts. Her legs were also covered in thick red scales, glittering slightly in the low lighting.

She had quickly concluded, that she was no longer human. Or rather, she was half something else. It hadn't been long after her initial scream that _he _had woken up. He hadn't said a single word, rather he had gone to one of the recliners and had sat down, and begun reading from a black tome that had been strapped to his leg. That's all of the events she recounted since waking up at 8:30PM. It had been an hour or so since then, and nothing had happened.

Aside from a man named Jibo Momota, coming onto the television and explaining their situation to them. She had immediately wanted to roast the man for what he had done to her. She had wanted talent, not to be turned into a _dragon _of all things. It was also explained to him that her particular talent had been something a gift, from a woman trying to perfect a dragon serum. She wished to find this woman and tear her a new one.

Alas, young Mariana Nunez wasn't going to get any of that. Not if she couldn't get out of this staff room first. She took a running start at the door, slamming her leg into it. The metal didn't so much as bend from the kick, despite the force she had put behind it. She clawed at it, but her claws weren't doing anything. She was beginning to think this door was dragon proof. She finally relented, deciding to take a break at one of the nearby tables. She let out a groan, placing her head on the cool table top, her crimson hair splaying all over the place.

"Ugh...I can't believe this shit...what the fuck," she mumbled, forcing her eyes closed. Her ear perked up a bit, only to hear the sound of a turning page.

"I was beginning to wonder when you'd give up. Clearly that door is made from high grade vibranium. Someone like you could never hope to pierce it."

"Well maybe if you didn't sit on your fucking ass reading, we could have gotten out of here by now." Mariana snapped, glaring at the young man. He let out a small chuckle, finally pulling his gaze from his book, for the first time since having awakened. Fiery orange locked with cool green, both glaring at each other.

"My apologies, I might not have conveyed this well enough with words but...allow me to elaborate a bit. _I. Don't. Care._"

"Well maybe you don't, but I fucking do. That man wasn't lying, killing games have been happening all over the world. Do you actually wanna die in this shithole?" Mariana snapped.

"Pfft. That's silly, assuming I would die. You don't know who I am sugar tits, but I would never die. I'm too _perfect _to die. So why don't you shut your mouth already Sugar Tits?"

"What...what the fuck did you just call me?" the manakete cried, furling her wings as she stood. The action caused a few nearby chairs, cups and utensils to fly off the table top. The boy flipped another page, waving her off.

"I just gave you a nickname. Your tits are huge, I call them how I see them," he said with a shrug. Mariana growled, gritting her teeth in anger.

Even in her anger, the young lady couldn't help but notice how aloof the boy looked. He looked like an occultist, someone you'd find in a dark alleyway on Halloween Night. He had a crew cut fade haircut, with the word King tattooed on either side of his head. He wore a dark gray tank top under that hideous leather jacket, and what looked like leather motorcycle pants. He also wore dark gray boots with studded toes.

Definitely an occult freak. Mariana already detested him, she felt the urge to claw his insides out. She hastily shook her head, turning her attention back toward the door.

"_I can't think like that...a single slash from my claws could tear him in half. I'd rather not do that, he may look like an unbearable asshole. But maybe it's a defense mechanism." _

"Hey Sugar Tits, be a dear and fetch me a beer would you?"

"_I'm gonna fucking kill him!" _the manakete hissed angrily. A soft glow surrounded the blue stone around her neck. She could feel her body start morphing, an entirely new feeling to her. She started panicking, not knowing what was happening to her. The stone stopped glowing, and she fell to her knees, panting a bit.

"I didn't know you could glow. Congrats, you were probably turned into the Ultimate Lantern." the boy joked, causing Mariana to glare at him. She shook her head, deciding to ignore him.

"_So...that odd feeling, I was transforming. If I have wings now and this stone glows...that means I can turn into an actual dragon. When the old man said I was a manakete now, I didn't think he was serious. Hell, someone that old doesn't know what Fire Emblem is, I'd wager." _she thought, forcing herself to her feet.

_**Ding Dong Ding Dong**_

"_Ahem...might I have your attention. Mariana Nunez, Lars Weyer, it is a pleasure to see the two of you again." _the familiar voice of Jibo Momota said. Mariana's head jerked toward the television screen, the visage of the old man greeting her once more. The boy, Lars, didn't so much as move, his focus still on his book.

"I wouldn't say it's a pleasure,"

"_Ah, not enjoying your new powers I take it? You were the one who willingly volunteered after all. If my assistant saw another use for you, then that is not my fault. However I will say, you are far superior now than you were before, both of you are in fact. Which is why I have a proposition for you." _

"Tch...and what would that be?" Lars asked, looking up at the television screen. He shifted a bit in his recliner. Jibo cracked a smile.

"_It's quite simple really. You see, I have yet to establish a point system among you and the other Test Subjects. However, everyone will have an equal chance at gaining their ticket. A reward awaits the one who manages to best this test." _the man said. He clicked a button off screen, causing a door in the room to open. A masked man pushed another person into the room, rapidly closing the door.

"Please, leave me alone already!" the young man cried, having shielded his face with his hands. He was wearing a red jump suit, with white prison numbers on the back. Broken chains could be seen around his wrists and ankles. A prisoner, it seemed. Mariana and Lars shared a look, curiosity replacing their usual annoyed expressions.

"So...what's up with this fella?" Mariana asked firmly. Jibo let out a laugh.

"_This man is a juvenile delinquent, or rather was since he's come of age recently. Formerly, he was known as the Ultimate Retro Game Collector. From the American division of Hope's Peak Academy."_

"The American division?"

"He means Rising Hope Preparatory Academy, one of the Charter Schools on the HPA program. They were responsible for the partial construction of the Horizon Station and the Lunar Colony in the Sea of Tranquility." Lars replied. Mariana nodded, glancing back at the young man.

"Alright...what do you want us to do? He seems harmless to me."

"_Harmless? Nay, there isn't a man guiltier than he. If the hangman's noose existed, he'd be in the gallows. This useless sack of meat is responsible for the collapse of the Department of Homeland Security in the States. Bonafied despair. He uses his charm to attract people and then stabs them in the back," _Jibo explained. Lars sighed as he snapped his book closed, it was clear he wasn't going to be able to read in peace.

"I tire of this. Tell us what the fuck you want us to do, if not you can fuck yourself,"

"_Right to the point, that's why I like you Lars. It's quite simple really. This man was captured by a few operatives of mine, I was going to use him as an experiment, but he is to weak. Not to mention, I do not care for rapists." _

"Rapist...this man? He doesn't look like he's hurt a fly." Mariana said. The man let out a small laugh as he backed into the vending machine, scratching his face with his sharpened nails. Blood started streaming from the cuts.

"I...I haven't raped anyone! I haven't...I haven't at all. If...if a woman dresses like a slut, she's inviting herself to be raped! No...that isn't me...I didn't do it, I didn't do it!"

"This man is insane...he's spouting nonsense." Lars mumbled to himself. Mariana backed away from him, just as he looked up at her, a wicked smile on his face.

"Yes...my sweet look at how you are dressed. Torn shirt, short shorts and those lavish breasts...I believe a little taste won't hurt."

"_Mariana Nunez, Lars Weyer...this man is a vile creature. If you wish to leave this room and be rewarded for your troubles, you shall kill him. The room is slowly filling with a nerve gas, both of you are immune to it. However, due to genetic modification, this man will turn into a beast. If you do not dispose of him then he shall kill you. You have 3 minutes." _Jibo said, chuckling as he shut the monitor off.

"What? What the fuck you asshole! When I get out of here, I'll turn your balls into stir fry!" the manakete shouted. The crazed man lunged forward, trying to grab her by the throat. She beat her wings, shooting to the air before he could. He slammed into the microwave, knocking it to the floor. Hastily turning around, he gave her a grin, eyes swirling with despair.

"Come on! I promise I won't hurt you! I was very gentle with the last girl I played with! She was such a cutie too, then again she was only 10!"

"Hijo de tu puta madre!" the Colombian spat angrily. Lars grit his teeth in anger, reaching for the ornate dagger resting on his leg. He pulled it free, twirling it around his hand. He gave it a throw, watching with satisfaction as the man's shoulder was pierced.

"GAAAAHH! You son of a bitch!" the man cried, pulling the dagger out, spraying the floor with pink blood. Lars slammed his knee into the man's gut with all of his force, knocking him to the ground. He dropped the dagger, which he easily reclaimed.

"I do not partake in sins of the flesh. They turn all men into savages. It is people like you that make me detest humanity." he spat, burying the dagger in the man's chest, all the way to the hilt. He pulled it free, watching as he gasped for air.

"Y-you won't win...those sluts...will tempt you!"

Lars said nothing as he walked over to the nearby machine, typing something on the number pad. Mariana watched curiously, her eyes focusing on the bloody knife in his grasp. He grabbed one glass cup from the machine, pausing while he served himself something. He grabbed the foam cup and took a drink, sighing contently.

"Ah...nothing beats the taste of Gin." he said, as he strode toward the man, who was still clutching his profusely bleeding wound.

"Kill...me." he hissed, blood spewing from his mouth. Lars shrugged, grabbing a hold of his chin, forcing him to drink the liquid he had purchased from the machine. The two watched as it started eating away at his throat, causing the man to scream. He poured the rest of it on his face, sizzling flesh filling the room.

"What the hell did you give him?" Mariana cried, causing Lars to turn around.

"Sulfuric Acid. That vending machine is an SCP apparently...it vends any liquid you desire. Besides, this piece of shit deserved it. Now I can return to my reading," he said, tossing the glass aside as he headed back toward the recliner. Before he sat down, the barred door popped open, causing them to look out into the hall. Sitting on a platter were two silver tickets.

"_Congratulations on passing your first test. You still must take the Research Test at 10 if you wish to leave this island. Consider those tickets and advanced payment. Good luck." _Jibo's voice said.

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 Building #1 (Corridor)**

**Time: 9:50PM**

**Date: August 1****st ****2020**

"Um...Daisuke, what do you think is going on this island? Truly you must know something." Nyx asked, earning a frown from the Storyteller. He paused at an adjacent corridor, shining his light down it. All of the doors seemed to be tightly closed, so he continued onward. Lightning flashed outside, the wind having picked up in the last few minutes.

"Like I said before, I don't know. I only met Jibo once before, when the Tragedy was just starting. Shortly after the first killing game started. He and my fiancee asked me to join his cause. I refused, and turned my back on them. Hiyoko went on to helm the Horizon Killing Game." he replied. Nyx cringed, glancing away from the boy in shame.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so heartless."

"It's fine. Hiyoko was a lot of things, but I never took her to play mastermind. I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but Junko had her wrapped around her finger. She wasn't always like that. She had a troubled past sure, but..." he paused, taking a deep breath. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. "When the world started falling apart, I had to stand back and do nothing. All I could do was run, fearfully trying to hide. I tried to get her out, but she didn't...she wanted to stay with her friends in Hope's Peak."

"Class 77, 78 and 79 locked themselves in right? I recall seeing parts of that killing game. The ending was cut short. Information didn't stream out to the public, not a lot of people know the true mastermind behind that game. Save those with connections. Until now, I didn't know Junko Enoshima was the mastermind. I always assumed she was just a model," the halfling said. They paused at another hallway, one that turned naturally to the right. With little choice, the continued aft, hoping not to run into anything out of the ordinary.

"I must admit, I myself don't know most of the details. However, I do know Junko was heavily involved. Hiyoko sung like a canary after all. Boasting was something she couldn't ever do well. So I got answers out of her rather easily. It's a real shame but, the world keeps spinning. The Tragedy is calming down, I'm sure we'll be fine."

"You say that as if we weren't trapped on an island and turned into weird creatures," Nyx said absentmindedly.

"I won't say I'm not worried. But I got everything I need with me. I got air in my lungs, a few blank sheets of paper to write in. Hell, just the other day I was sleeping under a bridge. And now I'm surrounded by interesting company." Daisuke said, giving the girl a wink. Nyx let out a giggle, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

"Well, I can't say I'm not happy. Seeing as I spent most of my time in an FBI facility. Can't say I welcome the time when I'm not being prodded by someone."

"Hmm...you're a real alien huh? From another planet?"

"You could say that. I never met my parents, but my momma told me all about my birth mother. She was a kind woman, and very loving. She and my father left our home planet due to some war breaking out with another extra terrestrial species. We ended up on Earth, at the cost of my father. Raven took care of me once my mom passed on,"

"You have my condolences. It isn't easy living without both parents. My mom raised me and my sister Erika as best she could. After what our father did to us, we were her top priority. That bastard, I hope he's burning in the fires of hell for the shit he did in life," the storyteller spat angrily.

The two came to a halt at a three way intersection. There was a set of double doors to the right that were firmly locked and boarded up. The words Don't Open, Dead Inside had been hastily written with spray paint. The storyteller didn't really want to know what was being contained in there. The aft hallway was empty, the lights flickering on an off at 3 second intervals. Finally, the left corridor was the one with bright lights, as well as large glass windows, all barred from the outside.

"Seems to me like we've got a choice to make. We can head aft or we can head left." Daisuke said.

"We should take the left path, it's the most lit out of all of them."

"Left it is, stay behind me Nyx. Just in case." he said, as he started carefully walking down the path.

However he didn't make it far. The door to his left slammed open, taking the duo by surprise. A tall figure made his way out, holding what looked like a shotgun in his grasp. Daisuke rose his gun, trying to let out a round when the figure slammed him into the wall. His Five Seven flew out of his grasp, clattering to the floor.

"Shit!" he cried, as the figure took aim. Nyx let out an ear piercing screech, causing all of the windows to shatter. The storyteller covered his ears, unable to discern anything. The figure dropped his gun, allowing the halfling to knee him in the face.

"Ha, take that!"

The figure's hand jerked, snagging a hold of the halfling's neck. He slowly stood up, squeezing her throat as he held her up. Daisuke forced himself to stand up, a bit dizzy due to the vertigo. He let out a growl, eyes flashing crimson as he ran forward, slamming his fist into the figure's face. The man didn't so much as jerk from the hit, his eyes looking into his own. He tossed Nyx aside, her head cracking against the wall, she was instantly knocked out.

"Nyx!"

The storyteller tried to aid his friend, only for the figure to grab a hold of him, slamming him into the wall. He reached into his pocket for a device which he quickly flicked on. Daisuke let out a hiss as he was blinded by the light. It was rapidly flashing at various intervals, the figure was trying to stun him. He bit his lip in anger, moving leg up nailing the man right in the jewels. He let out a groan dropping the boy, who's vision swirled around in confusion. He felt around for his gun, feeling something nearby. His vision finally cleared just as the man jumped to his feet. Daisuke took aim, blasting the man with his own shotgun. The loud boom echoed through the hallway, his ears once again ringing.

"_Fuck...I'm going to kill this mother fucker!" _the storyteller hissed angrily. He climbed to his feet, pulling the pump back and loading a shell into the chamber. He locked eyes with the man, placing the barrel under his chin.

"I hope the fires of hell don't judge you too harshly," he said. With a pull of the trigger, the man was dead. Lightning crackled outside, followed by booming thunder as the rain poured into the hallway. Blood started pouring from the deceased man's body, pooling around Daisuke's shoes. He sighed as he turned to Nyx, who was still unconscious. He looked her over for injuries, but aside from blood he saw nothing. He wounds must have sealed before he had checked her.

"Gracias a dios, she's not too badly injured." he mumbled, a small smile tugging his lips.

"Que demonios es esto?" a Spanish voice cried, causing the Storyteller to jump to his feet. His eyes locked with three people, who were looking at him with shock and curiosity. Daisuke remained silent, unable to find words to explain the current situation. Finally after a tense moment, the man found his voice.

"I-I can explain! I was looking around for other people with my friend Nyx here. This guy came at us with a gun and started attacking us. He almost killed my friend, so I had to shoot him!" he said. The humanoid shark man looked at the body, swallowing hard at the sight of blood.

"Killing is wrong, you shouldn't do it." he spoke, causing the boy next to him to hold his arm out.

"Forgive him Seisha, this was clearly in self defense. I'm sure you would have done the same in his situation,"

"Y-you're right Diego. S-sorry mister, I didn't mean to sound mean!"

"Hey, it's alright. No harm no foul. My name is Daisuke Del Rio, I suppose it's nice to meet you." he said with a bow.

"I'm Seisha! This is my friend Diego! There's also Mr. Bitey, my bestest friend in the whole world!" Seisha said, proudly introducing his shark plushie.

"Daisuke Del Rio? I wasn't expecting to meet such a famous author on this island. My sister Alejandra is a huge fan...ah yes before I forget, our friend here is..." the boy stopped when he noticed their female companion was gone. He looked around briefly, noticing her a few paces away, picking something off the ground.

"Never thought I'd be holding a real gun. This is pretty cool!"

"M-Miyaki, maybe you shouldn't play with that!" Seisha said. The blonde girl turned around, giving him a nod. She looked toward Daisuke, her eyes lighting up. She rapidly walked forward, tossing the FN Five Seven to Diego, who almost dropped it to the floor.

"Daisuke! It's so nice to see you again!" she said cheerfully, wrapping her arms around the boy, giving him a tight hug.

"Wait...you two know each other?" the Ultimate Samebito asked, confusion written on his face. Miyaki released the boy, giving him a once over.

"You haven't changed a bit! Still as tall as ever I see!"

"I don't think we've met, who are you again?" he asked, brows furrowed in confusion. Miyaki puffed her cheeks out, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"How could you forget me? Miyaki Hanao? I was friends with your little sister Erika. We used to walk our dogs together, she took care of my pup whenever he was sick. I also invited you to the circus when it was in town, and you got to meet the elephants." she said. The boy narrowed his eyes in thought, looking the girl over.

"Wait...are you the girl who did that unicycle trapeze thing? Where you flipped on the tight rope?"

"Mhmm! That's me. We didn't talk much, but we did hang out a lot when your sister was taking care of my dog. I can't believe you forgot me!"

"I apologize...my life has been quite hectic the last few years. I haven't seen Erika in so long that I...never mind. We should get back to the cafeteria. We only got 3 minutes before 10, and the last thing we want is to piss off Jibo." he said, wrapping his arms around Nyx, lifting her off the ground.

"Mr. Del Rio, I'll take her! I've always wanted to carry a sleeping princess in my arms!" Seisha said happily.

"I got it buddy, no need to worry." he said. The samebito gave him a puppy look, earning a sigh and a nod from the Storyteller. He carefully placed the halfling into his arms. He hugged her close to him, grinning happily.

"Don't you worry Princess! Seisha and Mr. Bitey will take care of you!"

"Let's go, we shouldn't waste anymore time." Diego said, handing Daisuke his pistol. He took a hold of the Mossberg 500, having emptied the deceased man's pockets of remaining shells. He didn't like weapons, but on Hora Island, one never knows when something could be useful.

"Keep a weathered eye out, there might be more of him hiding in this place," Daisuke said once he had checked his gun over.

"I'll stick close to you, you seem to know what you are doing," Miyaki said, earning a nod from the boy.

"I'll take the rear then, Seisha stick to the middle. I've got us covered."

"You got it Diego!" Seisha said happily, giving him a thumbs up, while still holding onto Nyx. Daisuke gave the group a nod, setting off toward the cafeteria. The final two minutes started ticking by, none knowing exactly what awaited them.

_**xxx(End of Prologue 4)xxx**_

**_Remaining Test Subjects 22_**

**A/N: Well I bet you weren't expecting another update so quick. Alas, CelestialSkyDragon works fast. Though as of right now, I am deadlocked as I'm missing the last few OC's for me to fully finish this prologue. As I see it, Prologue 5 will be the true final prologue before Chapter 1 begins. **

**Friendly reminder to those who are still working on applications, you got exactly 21 days before May 15****th****, the final cut off date for this story. So at exactly 11:59 on May 15****th****, they will close. Though I will be lenient and give you a one week extension if you are nearly complete. After that week, we'll set sail without you and your tickets will be revoked. Meaning I get to make more OC's that will suffer a great deal of pain! How joyous!**

**Before I go, I would like to give a shoutout to NSPunny, RazTheGiant, WinterSmith and Jeptwin, as their OC's debuted in this chapter. I'd also like to give a shoutout to Psychochiken, the creator of Miyaki Hanao. This poor girl won't get a break, she's LoD's new beaten dead horse, and may beat Sayaka in the future. That is unless Sayaka comes back again for like the 3****rd ****or 4****th ****time.**

**Well...this is goodbye until further notice. If I get the last remaining OC's before their due, I may write Prologue 5 and finish them off so I can start Chapter 1. If not then sadly you'll all have to wait, and I hate making you all wait. It is what it is. See you all in therapy...**


	6. P5: Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

_Prelude 5_

Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 Building #1 **

**Time: 10:00PM**

**Date: August 1****st**** 2020**

_**xxx**_

Daisuke and the others had gotten back to the cafeteria in the nick of time. Just as the big hand on the clock struck ten. He was half expecting a loud chiming noise to filter through the Foundation's abandoned site. However, the only noise that echoed through the room was the sound of thunder. Upon seeing Nyx in Seisha's arms, the remaining people in the cafeteria freaked out. Seeing Diego with a shotgun didn't exactly seem to ease the mood. However before anyone could say anything, Daisuke stepped before the Samebito, taking a hold of the unconscious young woman, resting her on the table that had once been occupied by Mackenzie.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, and trust me, I've got your answers. Before anything else, I'd like to introduce some friends. Seisha, Diego and Miyaki. They're just like us," he said. Charlotte grabbed the remains of Daisuke's jacket, and refolded it, using it as a makeshift pillow for Nyx.

"Okay, guess that answers a couple questions. But what the hell happened to her?" Isabella queried firmly. Riku nodded, his tail flicking nervously about.

"Y-yeah, we heard shots! We thought someone died!"

"Oh, somebody did die. No one friendly I assure you," Diego said, placing the shotgun on the table top. His eyes fell onto the clock, which now read 10:05PM. "Seems to me like the old man is holding out on us,"

"He said 17 of us right? When he first delivered his message?" Mackenzie asked curiously, earning a nod from Daisuke. He shivered a bit due to the cold. The blistering wind was rattling the windows, as the storm outside battered the building.

"If there's one thing I can tell you about that man, don't trust what he says. Just because he said seventeen of us, doesn't mean that is true. For all we know, there are more of us," Daisuke said. As if on cue, the cafeteria doors slammed open, causing everyone to jump, and some even screamed in fear.

"You fucking dick, I told you not to slam the door!" a feminine voice cried. It belonged to a young woman who rapidly walked into the room, followed by another young man, nose buried in his book.

"And I told you to stop flapping your damned gums. I don't wanna talk to you!"

"Um...excuse me, who are you two?" Haruna asked. She had finally recovered from her chocolate overload, and had been taking stock of what little supplies the group had.

"I'm Mariana, this is Lars. Don't bother talking to him, he'll blow you off. Whatever lies within that book is clearly more interesting than anything going on around him." the manakete said, walking away from the man.

"That's funny, considering it was thanks to me that we even left that damn room. Keep talking, next time I'll pour the acid down your throat," the man said, as he quickly found a seat. He brought his legs up onto the table, leaning back in his chair as he continue reading his book.

"Are we gonna ignore the fact that chick has wings? Like actual wings?" Shiro cried, pointing at the large appendages coming from the redhead's back. Bethany snapped her fingers, lighting one of them on fire.

"She has wings, I control fire. That one there got turned into a humanoid shark, I'm certain the others had more drastic changes done to them," she replied. Shiro sighed, giving her a nod.

"You're right...at first I thought this was all some sort of crazy dream. But now that I've been thinking, it's just...weird. Why us? Why would that old man do this to all of us?"

"I'm not certain Shiro. I guess that's one of the questions we'll have to answer for ourselves," Charlotte said, setting down the soaked rag she had been using. Nyx groaned a bit as the girl continued cleaning the dried blood in her hair, but she remained unconscious.

"There has to be a way out of here, I mean...we're not in space right?" Miyaki asked, earning odd looks from everyone.

"No, we're on an island in the Pacific ocean. As far as I know anyway," Haruna added, handing her and Diego a bottle of water. She gave one to Seisha who looked at it oddly. He aimed the cap to his mouth and squeezed it, the clear liquid shooting into his mouth.

"Uh...Haruna I got a question for you," Riku said, trying to ignore the samebito. The hostess nodded, turning to give him her full attention. "You said you were on a cruise ship right? The Majestic Princess?"

"That is correct, we were on our way to Okinawa. Some survivors from The Tragedy had been displaced by what had happened. Since the FAA is still in shambles, some ships started running their old courses." she replied, glancing away from the group. "The Majestic Princess made port in East London. We grabbed some supplies and set off for Japan. However, our ship hit some swells...the captain had reported a particularly nasty storm on the horizon...I don't remember anything else,"

"Could it be possible that the storm that's hitting Hora Island now, is the one that hit your ship?" Mackenzie asked curiously. The hostess shrugged.

"Perhaps, I'm not the Ultimate Meteorologist however. According to what Jibo said, the Majestic Princess ran aground. Near the island,"

"Hmm...then that's our play! We gather whoever is left in the SCP Site, we team up and make it to the shore. We'll find the ship, get some of the lifeboats and sail outta here!" Riku said. A loud chuckle echoed through the room, causing the group to look at Lars, who had been smirking behind his book.

"Are you retarded?"

"Hey! There's no need for that!" Daisuke snapped, glaring at the young man. Lars snapped his book closed, placing it in the special holster at his hip.

"It is a legitimate question. Do you think that someone like that left a fully functioning ship ready for us? Do ya Sylvester?" the man asked, sneering at Riku who's ears flattened against his head.

"While I hate to agree with him, he's right. Look at all of us...this man clearly has reasons to do this to us all. Not to mention, Daisuke said something about this island being protected by some creature. I wouldn't want to try my luck either," Charlotte added, causing everyone to go silent. That silence however was broken by the sound of a monitor erupting to life.

"_Well isn't this a surprise? There are still 7 of you who haven't arrived at the cafeteria. While normally, those seven would have met their demise, I feel like being a bit lenient, if only this once. I wasn't exactly careful when...picking out our first playground,"_

"You? I remember you!" Miyaki cried, walking out in front of the screen. The nearby camera creaked as it moved, focusing on her movements. The old man sneered behind the screen.

"_The Ultimate Circus Performer, back from the dead. How does it feel to be back in your own body?" _

"What the hell does he mean by that?" Kanemoto asked, placing a shaky hand over her chest.

"_You could say, Miyaki Hanao was my most recent success. A revival if you will. She was the 3__rd __person I successfully brought back from the dead. It took some time, but I think I did a good job," _Jibo said, earning a glare from the blonde.

"You...you're sick! When some dies that is it! They should be allowed to rest under Atua's holy light! The mere notion that you are messing with someone's well deserved rest is unfathomable! I will ensure Atua's light burns the flesh off your body!" Bethany shouted, her skin becoming redder and redder by the second.

"Bethy chill out! You're gonna kill all of us!" Shiro cried, causing the girl to look away from the screen. She noticed everyone had backed away from her, sheens of sweat covering most of them. Even the ground was seared from the sheer heat that had come from her body.

"My apologies, it seems I still cannot control my temper. But you cannot deny, I do bring up a good point,"

"That doesn't exactly matter at this point does it? Out with it old man, what is this about?" Lars said, glaring at the television screen. Jibo let out a loud cough, briefly leaving the screen. A few seconds after it cleared up, he sat firmly in place, glancing directly ahead.

"_You wish for an answer no? Well here it is. There are 24 of you currently on this island. People just like you. I lead you on by falsely claiming 17 people were here. However, I was making some last minute...adjustments if you will. The pieces all fell into place perfectly,"_

"Just get on with it!" Mariana hissed angrily. "I don't have time for you to beat around the damn bush! I want to go back home! So you better hurry up and give me the cure to whatever shit you put in me, and get rid of these wings!"

"_Alright then, I'll get to the point. All of you have expressed the need to leave this island have you not? There is but one way for you to do that. By collecting 5 silver tickets. Three of you already possess one of these coveted tickets. But where do you acquire more?" _the man paused, hoping someone would ask. However when no one did, he continued. _"__The answer is simple. You earn each ticket by agreeing to my Research Test. Alternatively, you earn them by killing one of your fellow classmates. The previous statement stands. Kill two of your classmates, and everyone leaves this facility. Ticket in hand no less,"_

"We are not killing anyone. We've already decided on that," the Ultimate Storyteller said firmly, glaring at the old man. He merely chuckled, shaking his head.

"_Oh Daisuke, you may think you can win against despair, but you won't. People become animals, resorting to their basic primal urge. To survive! You have all been given a unique experience. Was it not you who wished to have talent? Was it not you who joined the AUP, knowing full well what it could lead to?"_

"I didn't have a choice! You sent people to my island, and had me kidnapped!" Bethany cried out.

"You tricked me into getting into that van. Making me think Pokemon were real! Let me go you bastard!" Kanemoto added. Jibo merely laughed, patting his chest just before another coughing fit.

"_My dear Kanemoto you are quite amusing. It was you who was gullible enough to believe my jest. Did I lie to you? I promised to make you a Pokemon trainer and I did. You've got your own team, you should be grateful,"_

"Ugh...just get on with it already! You are just using this as an excuse to taunt us no? Then tell us what to do and get lost! I don't have the time for your shit!" the Ultimate Demonologist spat in annoyance. Jibo sighed, leaning back in his seat, hands folded on his lap.

"_Right, well this facility is quite vast. As some of you have already come to know. This research test is quite simple. I wish to test how well you work together with your newfound...abilities. There are 7 students currently scattered across this entire place. Your mission is to find them before sunrise. Those that do, will earn their tickets, simple right?" _

"You say it's simple...but it truly isn't. There's a catch, so tell us what it is." Mackenzie said bravely, standing next to Daisuke still clutching his book.

"_Quite right you are, Miss Alaestar. I'm afraid the catch is one you won't like. Those that aren't found before sunrise will meet their demise at the hands of a deadly nerve gas. A couple of you may find this motive familiar." _he said, a smirk on his lips.

"Are we to assume then that these people will die from breathing it in? If that's the case, are we to assume they'll get an antidote the moment they are set free?" Isabella asked firmly. The man gave her a nod.

"_You have my word, Miss Swan. However, three of you are exempt from this test. Mr. Weyer, Miss Nunez and Miss Shirai all have their tickets. I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out,"_

"Tch...good enough for me, gives me time to read my new favorite book," Lars said, retaking his seat shortly after. Everyone looked to Haruna, who had a flush on her cheeks.

"What exactly did you do for your ticket?" Charlotte asked. The young woman swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I uh...had a run in with some cake...a cake with the ability to multiply if a single crumb was left behind,"

"Oof...that's tough. No wonder you were yacking in that trash can earlier," Shiro said, holding back a giggle.

"Hmm...what about Nyx then? Are we to assume she doesn't have to participate in this as well? She is particularly indisposed at the moment." Diego said, gesturing to the sleeping halfling.

"_Well...you don't have to participate in this test. However you forfeit whatever chance you had at ascertaining a ticket. Which could lead to your eventual freedom. What if one day, you have four tickets, and you think back on today and say, "I wish I had taken that test after all?". I'm sure you'd be filled with regret," _

"Don't let him talk you down Diego! We'll get out of here safely, and without the need of his stupid tickets!" Seisha said cheerfully. Diego nodded, giving him a smile.

"Then I shall stay behind and keep an eye on Nyx. I'm sure Haruna could use a hand running things around here. The rest of you however need to search for those missing seven people. All 24 of us need to leave this place, alive," the young man said firmly.

"Then let's start s earching. Bella, you should lead your own team since you are armed. Diego can keep his shotgun, I'll lead my own team and..."

"_I'll stop you right there Daisuke. I've pre-decided your teams. Should you refuse to work with your new partner for this motive, I will terminate your existence at the press of a button. So don't for a second think you can outsmart me," _the Former Ultimate Biologist said, sneering at the young man. He let out a hiss, tightening his fist.

"Alright, let's play this your way then,"

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #3 (Containment Cell 45)**

**Time: 10:15PM**

**Date: August 1****st ****2020**

The young boy let out a soft groan as he slowly regained consciousness. He didn't know how long he had been asleep, but it felt as if he hadn't used his body in a really long time. Slowly, he started to wiggle his toes, unable to wiggle them fully due to his shoes. He moved his legs, followed by his arms and fingers. He could feel the pins and needles at his finger tips. He felt something poking his cheek. He brushed it away with his hand, sighing in annoyance, only to feel a harder poke. His eyes slowly opened, vision cloudy as he fully regained consciousness.

"Oh thank the heavens! I thought you were dead, it's a good thing I kept poking you until you woke up, huh?"

"Whozzat? What?" the boy murmured, as he forced himself to sit up.

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, his vision finally clearing. He found himself sitting in what looked to be a corner. The room was simple in color, pale white paint was flaking from age. There were four florescent lights serving as their only illumination. There was a single window in the room, firmly shut and barred with iron bars on either side. The only other thing in the room, was a barred steel door.

His golden yellow eyes fell upon the only other figure in the room. A rather nervous looking young lady. She seemed rather tall for her age, despite being in a kneeling position, the boy could tell she was taller than him. She had a concerned look on her face, her soft green eyes filled with worry. She was dressed in some rather dirty looking scrubs, her frayed red hair falling to her shoulders. The boy also noticed her skin color was a rather opaque color, almost gray. That was when he noticed the bandage wrapped around her arm, which was dotted with bright pink blood.

"Is something wrong?" she asked with a tilt of her head. The boy backed away from her, hitting the corner.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"I'm not sure okay? My name is Kate Scott. At least, I think that's what my name is. I don't exactly remember where I am from, or what I am doing here. All I know is that an old man locked us in here. I think he said I was an Ultimate Nurse,"

"A nurse? Then why is your skin all gray? What's up with the bloody bandage? And why is there a _chunk_missing from your shoulder!" the boy exclaimed, pointing to the young woman's shoulder. She hastily covered it up, looking away from him.

"I don't know okay? Like I said, I have no memories prior to this. But I do know that I am a nurse. Tell me, do you feel dizzy? Sick to your stomach? Is your heart beating too fast?"

"Huh...what? No...I'm fine! I'm just...I need to know where I am okay? I got on a ship. I heard the guys say it was heading toward America. Tell me where I am, please." he said firmly. Kate sighed as she forced herself to stand up. Her legs buckled a bit, but she was able to remain standing.

"I've told you before, I don't know where I am...I barely know _who _I am. All I know is that we are trapped in this room okay? Now might I have your name? I have to write it down in my patient log," she said, reaching into her scrubs for a notepad. The boy sighed, giving the woman a nod.

"My name is Reukra Orion, I suppose it's nice to meet you, Nurse Scott." the boy said shyly. Kate nodded as she jotted down his name on the paper. She gave him a once over, humming a small tune.

"5 foot 3, I'd say about 124 pounds. You are quite healthy for a boy your age. Quite the interesting hair color too," she said, making the boy flush. He brushed a hand through his orange-red hair.

"Y-you were able to tell that with a single look?"

"Mhmm...I am a nurse after all. I've got an eye for things like this. Do you think you could tell me about yourself?" she asked, leaning back against the wall. Reukra sighed as he hugged his legs close to himself.

"I don't really wanna talk about the details. Let's just say, I wasn't happy where I was living and I ran away from home. I hopped onto a ship bound for America and ended up here...where ever here is," he said. Kate paused mid sentence, clicking her pen rather loudly.

"You're a runaway? Oh my goodness! We have to get you home right away! Your parents must be worried sick!"

"Hmm...I doubt it," the boy said under his breath.

"Alright! I have my mission, and that is to get you home! So as soon as we figure out how to get out of here, we're finding a ship and sailing you home!"

"No no no, don't trouble yourself. I'll uh...get home myself," the boy nervously replied. Kate opened her mouth to say something, but was cut short when the monitor in the room turned on. Reukra shot to his feet instantly, his eyes firmly locked on the device.

"_Kate Scott, Reukra Orion, I welcome you to Hora Island. My name is Jibo, are your accommodations satisfactory?" _

"Accommodations? We're stuck in a white room, if I didn't know any better I'd say we were in the loony house!" the nurse shouted angrily.

"_You'd be half right. You two find yourselves in a rather precarious situation. The two of you are currently in an airtight room. With only a ventilation shaft as your only source of oxygen. You both are breathing in a deadly nerve gas, which will ravage your nervous system within the hour. Help will arrive, however it will take some time for them to find you."_

"Nerve...gas? You're poisoning us?" Reukra cried, backing away from the screen. He started breathing heavily, his eyes wide and unfocused. Kate grabbed a hold of his shoulders, shaking him a bit.

"Calm down! Breathe through your nose and out your mouth okay? Having a nervous breakdown isn't going to help us out," she said. The boy's hands rapidly shot to his nose and mouth, plugging them up.

"I can't...the gas will kill us!" he said, though slightly muffled. The nurse pulled his hands away from his mouth, giving him a glare.

"Not breathing will kill you faster. I'm certain this man is just screwing with us. There is no way he'd be allowed to trap us and start pumping nerve gas into our system!"

"_Allow me to burst your bubble then, Miss Scott. You two are currently part of a test of sorts. I assure you, help will come. However by the time it does, the two of you will die...well one of you will die permanently. There is one way of stopping this and ensure your freedom," _the old man said, pressing a button off screen.

Reukra and Kate jumped a bit, as the floor on the other side of the room started opening up. Slowly, a large table started to rise into the room. The two noticed it wasn't a normal looking table. A pair of large fish tanks had been bolted onto its surface. Two large openings could be seen on the front of both tanks, and inside was what looked like a syringe. Beneath the table, was what looked like a collection device, a beaker marked with black pen, all the way to the top.

"_Sitting within those tanks is the answer to your prayers. The antidote to the gas you are currently breathing. However if you wish to attain that lifesaving liquid, you must give some in return. 3 pints of blood isn't much to ask for, is it?" _

"You're sick! How dare you assume we'd actually trade our blood for a stupid shot?" the nurse shouted back. Reukra glanced toward the tank, biting his lower lip.

"There's no other way is there?" he asked softly. Jibo shook his head.

"_You can wait until the door is unlocked from the other side. However it will take the ones searching quite awhile. By the time they find you, you will be dead. This nerve gas is one that I perfected with the help of the Former Ultimate Chemist. Trust me, it's potent. 20 minutes in, you start to feel dizzy. Half an hour in, you'll feel like your nerves are on fire. The last 15 minutes are the most painful, or so I've been told," _

"I don't want to die...Kate I'm sorry, but I'm going for it!" Reukra said, shakily walking toward the tanks. The woman ran toward him, taking a hold of his wrist, pulling him to a stop.

"No! This is all a trick, he just wants to mess with you. If there was a nerve gas capable of killing people, the army would have stopped him! There is no way they'd let him do that!"

"The army? Wait...you said you lost your memory right? Do you remember the Tragedy?" he asked. She blinked, furrowing her brows.

"T-tragedy? What tragedy? The only tragedy I can think of is the one you are about to commit!" she said. Reukra looked away from the young woman. He briefly saw thunder flashing outside the window, a frown working its way onto his face.

"I guess you don't know about the horrors that people have faced out there. It doesn't matter, trust me. Taking our chances in here are better than sitting down and dying." the boy said. He turned back toward the two tanks, looking at them closely.

They looked like normal fish tanks, aside from the face they had been flipped upside down. Large hand holes had been cut out of the glass, what looked like a rubber casing had been slipped around the hole. Right at the center of the tank lied the antidote, a glowing purple liquid in a silver gun-like syringe. He took a deep breath, slipping one of his arms into it, taking a hold of the syringe. Once he did, he pulled back, only to feel a sharp pain in his arm.

"Ah...what the hell?" he cried, pulling harder. This time, he felt something pierce his flesh. The once clean glass splattered with pink blood, which was flowing out into the tank, slowly filling the beaker beneath it.

"What kind of trap is this?" Kate asked, looking over her shoulder at the screen.

"_As I said before, liquid for liquid. If you wish for those blades to release him, then he must fill that beaker to the brim with his blood. Only then will he be able to free himself from the blades. Alternatively, you could let him die and wait for rescue to come, the choice is yours." _Jibo said, uttering a laugh as the screen turned off.

"Kate it hurts! What do I do?" the boy cried, fear etched onto his face. Kate sighed, brushing some hair out of her eyes as she looked at the contraption. She glanced at the beaker, which was steadily filling with his blood. It was gushing out now, most likely from the boy's own fear. She glanced at the unused armhole, getting an idea.

"Well, if filling the beaker will release the blades and get you that antidote, then that's what we'll do." she said, sticking her arm in the other hole. She gave it a yank, not even flinching as the steel blades cut into her flesh. Dark goopy blood started pouring into the tank, mingling with Reukra's much brighter blood. He looked at her arm, already feeling dizzy from the blood loss.

"What...what's wrong with your blood?"

"Ehe...would you believe me if I told you I was actually the Ultimate Zombie?" she asked, giving him a smile, showing off her black gums and pearly white teeth.

"Z-zombie? What?"

_**xxx**_

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #4 (Breached Containment Unit)**

**Time: 10:24PM**

**Date: August 1****st ****2020**

"Oh, you have got to be shitting me!" a gruff voice cried out in anger. This was followed by a giggle, belonging to a spry 15 year old girl with a grin on her face.

"I am not crapping you good sir! I'm the one and only Miya Ainara! _Technically_, I'm the Ultimate Missing Persons Investigator. But, that's just some made up title that's _waaaaaaaaay _too long. Don't worry, though! I'm actually a detective full of _real _talent! Just look at this badge of mine! It's one thousand percent real!" the girl said, holding out her badge.

"Listen kid, I don't fucking care who you are. The sole fact that they hired a little shit like you to save all of us? That makes absolutely not goddamned sense!"

"I wasn't hired to save you~ You are very stupid for a walking tree," the girl countered, causing the man to slam his fist against the wall.

"You fucking piece of shit! I'm going to snap your neck and make you wish you hadn't been born!"

"Um...perhaps you shouldn't speak to her like that Ashton. It's rather rude," another, softer voice said.

The man in question turned to the other lady in the room, glaring at her with his dark green eyes. He was a tall young man, standing at almost 7 feet tall. He had dark brown skin, with a bark like texture to it. His body looked stiff, bearing the resemblance of a tree trunk. He was wearing a tattered black leather jacket and some matching jeans, his feet being completely bare.

"Look Dalila, I don't particularly care about those that still have flesh on their bones. I could care less if she's young, a woman or anything else. Understand?" the man hissed. The girl, Dalila, gave him a pout.

She as a beautiful young lady, with dark leafy green skin. Her hair was a dark forest green, various shades of green served to highlight her tresses. She had almond shaped eyes, a dark brown in color reflecting quite a bit of warmth and kindness. One of her eyes bore a rather nasty scar, and was actually a bit lighter in color. She was wearing a light, leafy green dress that reached down to her knees. It was made of cotton and leaves, all intricately stitched together. It was accompanied by a shawl made of dark green leaves, held together with a beautiful silver brooch. Like the tall man, she was also barefoot.

"You are just a negative Nancy. We have to keep hope alive right? I know things aren't going well for us now. We however must help those that we can. That storm was particularly rough, if we hadn't found Miya in the woods when we did, she may have died," Dalila said, glancing at the violet haired girl, who had a rather annoyed look on her face.

She had fair colored skin, a contrast to her two companions, who she could see were clearly not human. She had long violet hair which she had tied in braids with beige hair ties. She was wearing a checkered dress shirt, under a black sweater with white stripes. She wore an unbuttoned red duffle coat over it. She was wearing a light green skirt, with white knee socks and beige ankle-boots.

The three had met up in the woods, following a message left behind for them. The storm had hit them as they were making their way to the X that had been marked on their map. This had been shortly after meeting with Miya, who had been wondering alone through the woods for most of the day.

"She's annoying! I'm telling ya, we should have left her out in the woods,"

"Now that's just mean! I was hired to come to this island you big meanie! You have no idea how hard it was finding the darn thing on the fricken map! Now that I'm here and I find...whatever you two are, I get insulted? Hmph...maybe _I _should leave,"

"No please do...that would give me some much needed peace and fuckin quiet!" Ashton snapped angrily. Dalila sighed, shaking her head as she glanced away from then two.

"Whatever the case may be, the three of us are trapped here until the storm clears. Now Miya, sweetheart could you explain what exactly you are doing here?"

"Hmm...why should I tell you? You know you remind me of Oscar the Grouch! You're all green and junk!" the Missing Person's Investigator said. Dalila narrowed her eyes in confusion, not at all understanding what she meant.

"Um...alright then,"

"Didn't you say you were looking for someone?" Ashton asked, causing the short young lady to look up at him.

"That's right! I was hired by the chief of Kuikawa Island to find someone named Bethany Yonaga. I got a lead that said she was put on a ship that set sail from East London. That ship ran aground 5 weeks ago off the coast of Hora Island. The survivors reported one of their own missing. A young woman named Haruna Shirai. She was seen boarding a lifeboat on the bulwark of the Majestic Princess before she went under. That boat made it to land, but when the crew looked for it, the island had supposedly disappeared,"

"Disappeared? Like a mirage?" Dalila asked, earning a nod from the Missing Persons Investigator.

"So it would seem. I've been searching the waters for the past two weeks, and didn't strike land until this morning. I did some research beforehand as well. Apparently, this island was the site of a battle a looong time ago!"

"How long exactly?" Ashton asked, the treant had become rather interested in what the young woman had been saying. She flipped through her leather-bound book, her eyes rapidly tracing the words.

"According to some old reports, this island was once owned by a wealthy Englishman. He built a castle on the east side of the island, which was apparently used for dark satanic rituals. Some say, even people like Jack the Ripper came here to murder settlers from the surrounding countries." she said, pausing as she flipped a page. "In 1890, there was a man who purchased a lot of land north of here. He was an Engineer from Japan. Ryusuke Momota, despite being told by locals of the haunting's, the man wanted to build a home here,"

"Who's insane in enough to come here of all places? Especially when it's so spooky?" Dalila asked, earning a shrug from Ashton.

"He was probably thinking of following in the traditions of this place. If the kid is saying this place was used for rituals, I wouldn't put it past the man."

"There's a little more, apparently Ryusuke Momota had friends in England. It seemed as if his talents in Engineering were manifesting in an early age. He's credited for quite a few inventions that revolutionized passenger liners in that era. However, it seems there was a curse placed upon the man." Miya continued, flipping through to the next page. "His wife would later claim it was the curse of Horror Island. She said the demons living on this soiled land cursed his soul to a thousand deaths,"

"What did the curse entail?" the dryad asked, earning a sigh from Miya.

"Death apparently. Ryusuke had apparently been messing around with some satanic tomes found in that castle. The curse laid upon him demanded a blood sacrifice. A life for a life if you will, if he wished to live, then he'd have to kill someone." the detective said, showing off a few of the markings she had drawn in the pages with crayon. Ashton rolled his eyes as he took a hold of the book, wanting to look at them closely.

"Hmm...wait, your notes say that Ryusuke Momota could have potentially been an Ultimate Engineer? But Ultimates didn't surge until 1942, according to Hope's Peak Academy anyway."

"You are correct, however throughout history, people have been quite talented. Figuring out various things. The great Pharaoh Khufu was thought to be an Ultimate. For being able to command and lead his people. The man who designed his pyramid? The Ultimate Construction Expert, after all, how else could they have gotten those two ton blocks in place?"

"Miya makes a good point. Ryusuke Momota must be the reason why this island is cursed then. Satanic rituals were already happening, but that doesn't explain to us why we are here...and why this happened to us." Dalila said, glancing at her now green skin.

"I was getting to that, sheesh. Reports indicate that a man named Jibo Momota has been running experiments on this island for years now. He was known as the Ultimate Biologist, a graduate from Hope's Peak Academy. Momota happens to be a descendant of Ryusuke."

"Which means that bastard is the one responsible. He inherited this cursed land, and turned us into fucking trees!" Ashton snapped angrily.

Miya retook her notebook, snapping it closed right after. She walked away from the two, heading toward the crumbled wall. The room they were in had most of its surroundings caved in, the fence in the distance having been completely torn apart. The rain was falling a lot harder now, the cold wind blowing leaves and raindrops in all directions. The young detective didn't so much as shiver. She smiled slightly, reaching into her pocket for a piece of bubblegum.

"What... what happened to Ryusuke Momota?" Dalila asked, causing the young detective to turn around. She blew a bubble with her gum, allowing it to pop as she gathered her thoughts.

"Have you heard of a novel called Futility?"

"Huh...what does that have to do with her question squirt?" the Ultimate Treant asked, clearly confused.

"The author of it was thought to be a clairvoyant. He wrote a novel detailing the sinking of a fictitious ship. One called the Titan. On a cold night in April, the ship struck an iceberg and sank, only 13 people survived in that novel. It parallel's a very famous accident in our history." she said, snapping her gum. She took a deep breath, a small frown forming on her face. "Ryusuke Momota was heading to the United States, to meet with a Steel Tycoon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He died on the night of April 15th, 1912, leaving his pregnant wife behind,"

"He died on the Titanic?"

"That's right Lila, he did. But why am I telling you this? Well I'm sure you both think this is stupid. And to someone without a brain, it would be. But there lies the beginning of our dilemma. Ryusuke Momota is the predecessor to the man who is holding us captive on this island. If we wish to get off of it, and perhaps even change you back, we must figure out this curse," Miya said firmly.

"Weren't you hired to find those two missing chicks?" Ashton asked.

"Well yeah, but come on! Wouldn't breaking some hundred year old curse be super neato? Plus imagine all of the trapped souls on this island, all because of that salty old coot?"

"She does make a point. Jibo Momota told us that his experiments were running about. How many of those died due to his disgusting tests?" the dryad asked. As if on cue, the lone monitor in the room turned on, a loud buzzing filling the room from one of the partially damaged speakers.

"_I see you are very well informed young Miya. It seems you took the bait I laid out for you."_

"Huh...what are you talking about? I didn't take any bait!" the young girl cried out, causing the man to laugh.

"_Oh? Then how was it that you found information about Hora Island? This island has been in my family's name for generations. All information has been wiped from the global network. The mist hides it well, and not even satellites have images of it. It is a hard island to find, and yet here you are,"_

"Enough! What do you want from us you demon? I swear if you don't let us go, I will find you and snap your bones in half!" Ashton shouted.

"_I had expected you to be a bit grateful Ashton. After all, it was my apprentice, Syd, who saved your life,"_

"By turning me into a fucking tree? My ass! Get over here you fucking pussy!"

"Ashton cease this at once! Yelling at a television screen is not going to change things. What happened happened and we cannot change it. We're on his island, so we'll have to play by his rules if we wish to survive," Dalila said firmly, giving the man a glare. He opened his mouth a few times, trying and failing to reply. He grunted, looking away from her.

"_You wrangled him in, I expected nothing less from the Ultimate Dryad. However, I didn't decide to speak to you for simple pleasantries. Suffice it to say, all of you will be put to the test. If you wish to survive the night, then you will do as I say." _

"Out with it then, what do you want us to do?"

"_It's quite simple...there are three of you. But I only have two silver tickets, tickets that will aid in your escape from this island. This door is bio-metrically locked from the outside. If you wish to leave this room, then one of you must lose their lives," _the man said with a sneer. Miya let out a laugh, snapping her gum as she rose her hand to point at the screen.

"Ha! You foolish old man! You think you can trick us into killing each other, but you forgot the glaring hole in your plan!" she cried, aiming her thumb behind her, at the collapsed walls of the containment room. As if on cue, a large steel wall rose behind them, locking in place with the steel roof that had also been activated. "Well frick!"

"_Assuming that I'm not prepared is quite saddening Miss Ainara. You have a few minutes to decide which among you will cease to live. Or the walls will decide for you," _Jibo said, pressing another button. Then ground rumbled, as the floor beneath them opened up, revealing what looked like an industrial sized shredder. The wall behind them rumbled, as hundreds of small spikes protruded from it, and started slowly moving toward them.

"_This wall will move one foot every five minutes, until all three of you are pushed into that shredder. However, if one of you bravely sacrifices themselves, the remaining two will leave. I await your choice," _the man said, finally tuning off.

"What are we gonna do? I don't wanna die here!" Dalila cried out fearfully. Ashton let out a chuckle, shaking his head.

"Neither do I. But looks like we're gonna die regardless of our choice. I say we sacrifice the kid."

"What? Oh screw you Groot! Who the frick do you think you are huh? I truly hope you die in this death trap! I'll make sure to stay alive long enough to see you get turned into mulch!" Miya shouted back. The wall behind them jerked as it moved forward, forcing them closer to the shredder. "Nice knowing ya guys. I really hope my daddy got my text messages. He'll come save us, I'm sure,"

"Keep dreaming kid, I doubt we'll be alive by the time he gets those," The treant said, a sigh escaping his lips.

"We can't give up hope! We'll get out of this one, I'm sure we will!" Dalila said, trying and failing to keep a hopeful smile on her face.

_**xxx**_

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #3 (Hallway)**

**Time: 10:30PM**

**Date: August 1****st ****2020**

"So uh...you were really dead huh?" Shiro said, directing her question to Miyaki, who had remained silent during their walk. She felt Mackenzie tugged on her shirt, shaking her head.

"I don't think she wants to talk about that Shiro. Let's just leave her be," she said softly. Shiro sighed, crossing her arms as she walked. Daisuke shone his light at the darkened hallway, keeping his eyes peeled.

"We have to be careful, the last time I came down a dark hallway, I almost died,"

"Why do you think the old man put all four of us in a group together? It couldn't have been a coincidence could it?" the executioner asked curiously. Daisuke shrugged, holding his hand up as they arrived at an adjacent corridor.

"I've since stopped wondering what goes through his head. I'm assuming it's because we work well together,"

"Then why is Silent Sally with us? Can she morph her leg into a katana like in Metal Gear Rising?" Shiro asked, earning a glare from the Storyteller.

"I'm not sure what I can do with my leg. Last time I was awake, I was helping my friend with something. When I woke up, I just felt...different," the blonde said, finally breaking the silence.

"How so?" Mackenzie asked softly, sticking close to Daisuke as they entered the next hallway. The blonde shrugged her shoulders, glancing at her hands. She opened and closed them a few times, looking at the sky-blue polish on her nails.

"I can't really explain it,"

"Hey Miyaki... what's it like to die? Is it scary?" Shiro asked, a hint of seriousness in her voice. Daisuke turned to her, shaking his head.

"Shiro, maybe you shouldn't."

"It's just...morbid curiosity, I'm sorry." she said, bowing her head slightly.

"Hey, it's okay Dais...I can answer her question. Shiro, dying is...it's an odd feeling. It's like going to sleep. You are vaguely aware of what is happening to you. The only difference is, when you fall asleep, you can still feel your body moving. When you die...everything just stops. You are just floating there, in a void of sorts. Like being in a coma, but with no hope of ever waking up."

"So, there's no heaven...or hell?" Mackenzie asked. Miyaki shook her head.

"If there was, I never went to it. Besides, I don't think I did anything to deserve going to either hell or heaven. Being in that purgatory...I think that was the best place for me. A place free of worries, where you can just rest,"

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this right now. We should focus on finding the others," Daisuke said, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Are you scared of dying Daisuke?" Shiro asked, causing the young man to stop. He licked his lips, taking a shaky breath before he spoke.

"I don't particularly fear death. I've come to grips with it, it's the natural end of everything after all. It's what happens after that frightens me."

"Why? You've done nothing wrong in life have you? Or is it because you aren't religious?" Miyaki asked. The boy shook his head as he continued walking.

"I've made many mistakes in my life. More than I can count, some were in the heat of the moment. Some others weren't. I carry with me a great many sins, despite not being religious, I can't help but wonder if there's someone up there waiting for me,"

"Pfft...you telling me you have a fear of god? That silly invisible man? Come on Daisuke, I know you are a storyteller, but you don't have to convince me of anything," the executioner said with a laugh.

"I didn't before, but now that we're on a supernatural island, surrounded by a siren, samebito, dragon and a girl who came back from the dead, I'm a bit fearful. Besides, don't concern yourself with me. We should continue looking for the others. Jibo said there was a containment unit in building 3."

The group of four remained silent as they continued onward. They found a set of stairs and started heading up to the second floor. According to the signs that had been bolted to the wall, the facility was made up of four buildings. Building one was filled with offices and common areas, while the remaining three were filled with containment units. Building 1 had some for Safe Class SCPs. Euclid and Keters were kept elsewhere. Thankfully, it seemed as if most of them had been removed. The storyteller had a hard time believing the fact that the SCP Foundation was a legitimate organization.

"You seem a lot more tense than before. What's happened to you since we last spoke Daisuke?" Miyaki asked, making sure Shiro and Mackenzie couldn't hear. The two girls were already lost in conversation, with the executioner trying to keep the painter from having a nervous breakdown.

"The last time we spoke? I...when was that again?" the man asked, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"Your sister was taking care of our Pomeranians. The ones for the hula-hoop show." she said. Daisuke closed his eyes for a brief moment, a small smile working its way onto his face.

"I remember that. That was before Erika got her official title from Hope's Peak Academy. The circus was in town, and you were visiting your friends...Giselly and Shuhei right?"

"That's right. We were celebrating a small victory of sorts. Just like your sister, we had gotten our invites for Hope's Peak Academy. I'm not sure if we were gonna be in the same class though. I forget how the system works. It's been...quite a long time hasn't it?" Miyaki asked, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"That it has. Things are beginning to calm down, but losing Hope's Peak Academy was heavy blow to the world. They all thought the students there were the last remaining hope of the world. They weren't expecting to see an Ultimate Death Match break out in its halls. I really hope my locker was destroyed, I left some rather raunchy notebooks in there,"

"Pfft...hahahaha,"

"It isn't funny...what I left behind could literally ruin my career,"

"Ha...oh I uh...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh, it's just...I didn't take you to be _that _kind of writer." she said, causing the boy to sigh.

"I'm not. But as the Ultimate Storyteller, it's my duty to tell a story. I was hired by people to be a ghost writer of sorts. So whatever they proposed, I wrote. Let's just say, I knew this kid with an obsession for 2D girls who asked for some really raunchy scripts. Guess he was a mangaka or some shit, I forget." he replied.

"Oh...I think I remember him...he kept shouting stuff about Princess Piggles." Miyaki replied, scrounging her nose a bit. They came to a stop at the end of another corridor, seeing nothing but a row of steel doors on either side of the hall. Shiro and Mackenzie had stopped talking, nearly bumping into the two.

"Whelp, what do we do know? Left or right?" Shiro asked curiously.

"There are too many containment units, and we've lost too much time. We're gonna have to split up." Daisuke said firmly. Mackenzie let out a whimper, backing away slightly.

"S-split up? N-no! That's not a good idea Dais! Last time we split up, you and Shiro were almost killed by dogs! And Nyx got hurt too!"

"It's our only option Kenzie. I'll keep you safe, I promise! I got my knife with me, and big sis gave us her frying pan! We'll be totally fine!" Shiro said, giving the girl a grin. The painter sighed, brushing some of her hair down as she took deep breaths.

"Y-you're right...I gotta be a big girl. Those people need our help...me and Shiro will take the right, you take the left. We'll meet up back here if we don't find anything,"

"You got it boss!" Miyaki said, giving her a salute. Daisuke gave the girl a smile, reaching into his messenger bag.

"This necklace is very special to me, it was a birthday gift from my sister. I want you to hang onto it for me, and give it back when we meet up. Can you do that?" he asked, handing her the golden chain. The girl looked at it for a moment, before giving him a nod.

"I will, thanks Daisuke. We won't fail you! We'll find those people and get them back to the cafeteria safely!" she said. Shiro took a hold of her arm, pulling her along.

"Come on, come on. We haven't got much time, we don't want to find corpses do we?"

Their voices trailed off, leaving Miyaki and Daisuke once again on their own. He took the lead, keeping his gun trained just in case he had to use it. His finger rested on the trigger guard, his eyes narrowed as he walked. He heard a crack of thunder boom outside, the lights flickering slightly as they moved.

"The storm is growing stronger. Won't be long before this place loses power," Miyaki said softly.

"I'm sure there are back up generators. This is the SCP Foundation we're talking about. These containment units have to be secure 24/7 or risk some weird creature escaping and killing the entire population,"

"You ever stop to wonder, maybe this despair that plagued the world. What if it was an SCP?" the circus performer asked, earning a confused look from the girl.

"Despair...an abstract feeling, is an SCP?"

"Well...think about it. There's a cake that multiplies if a crumb is left behind. A statue that will snap your neck if you blink, a set of stairs with a face. A man who's driving skills are so bad that he kills entire cities if he drives a moped. I'm sure despair can fall into that,"

"Miyaki, you are thinking about this way too hard." Daisuke said, earning a playful giggle from the girl.

"I am not! Everything is an SCP after all," she said.

"Hehe, yeah...I met a guy on Discord who was obsessed with that...he was a pretty cool dude. I hope he isn't dead," he softly replied.

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they continued checking the units. Most of them were locked, but the few that opened had nothing but grisly sights within. He saw a cell that was filled to the brim with rotting corpses. He quickly shut the door, not wanting to see the vile scene again, but he knew it would forever be seared into his brain. As they turned the corner, they head something in one of the rooms. It almost sounded as if someone was pounding against a table. Daisuke and Miyaki shared a look, before heading to the source. The boy pressed his finger to his lips, earning a nod from the blonde.

"_Please...is there anyone...out there? We need help!"_

"Right here, Cell 45." Miyaki said, grabbing a hold of the handle. She tugged on it, but the door wouldn't budge. Daisuke wrapped his arms around her, grabbing the handle tightly.

"Okay, on the count of three. One...two...three!"

With a firm tug, the handle finally gave way, causing the door to fly open. The two made their way into the cell, finding two people, kneeling down before a weird contraption, their arms being snagged by some sort of blade. The sickly looking nurse looked up, a look of relief on her face.

"Please...we don't have...much time."

"Everything hurts!" the young boy screamed. His yells echoed through the concrete walls.

A shrill sounding howl of pain that neither of them thought they would ever hear. Remembering what Jibo had said, Daisuke raised his shirt over his nose and mouth, and bashed the glass with the butt of his gun. As soon as he did, the blades released causing the two to fall to the ground.

"Oh my gosh, are you two okay?" Miyaki cried, kneeling before the two. The woman nodded, giving the girl a soft smile.

"I am...but Reukra...he feels the pain of that gas...that shot, please..before he dies," she said, lazily pointing to the syringe. Daisuke nodded, looking at the odd contraption within the broken tank. He noticed the second tank had a similar looking tank, however the liquid was green in color instead of purple.

"What...what's the difference?" he asked.

"Huh...just give him one!" the nurse cried. Daisuke nodded, turning around he busted the unbroken tank and grabbed the medical gun that lied within. He pulled the pump on it, and pressed it against Reukra's bicep.

"He's flailing around, Miyaki hold him down. This is gonna hurt like a bitch." he said. The circus performer nodded, kneeling down before the young boy, holding his shoulders still.

"This will only hurt for a bit okay?"

"It hurts now! Hurry the fuck up!"

Daisuke pulled the trigger filling the room with a loud snap. Reukra's screams filled the room again as the glowing green liquid flowed through his veins. They all watched as it slowly seeped into his body, before it stopped glowing. Reukra sat up, having felt the pain melt away instantly. He looked at his mangled wrist, seeing the skin slowly start to repair itself.

"Huh...what the hell?" he mumbled.

"Uh...why are there two of him?" Miyaki cried, pointing to the ground. Reukra looked behind him, seeing an identical looking torso and head laying on the ground. He let out a scream, causing the duplicate to melt away and return to his body.

"I couldn't do that before...what the hell was that? Was that me?"

"I think whatever was in this syringe caused that," Daisuke said, looking the gun over. The monitor came to life, causing the four to turn their attention to it.

"_You are indeed correct Daisuke. That gun contained a special syrum within it. I like to call it "Duplicator Particles". We've run many tests with this serum. However, all of the subjects we used it on turned into a thick bloody paste right after. That one was the first and only successful batch."_

"Wait a minute...you mean to tell me that you put that serum in here, to serve as the antidote to this nerve gas? Was the gas even real?" the nurse cried angrily.

"_Of course not. The placebo effect is quite marvelous isn't it? You can fool someone into believing things that aren't even happening. This whole thing was just a sugar pill for you. Reukra Orion got the best pill of all. The talent of Duplication." _

"Am I to assume I would have been implicated of murder if he had died?" Daisuke asked, his face shifting into one of anger. Jibo chuckled, giving him a nod.

"_Of course...this is a killing game after all. However, he didn't die and became a successful subject. To the winners go the spoils." _he said, snapping his fingers. A slot on the wall opened, 4 silver tickets resting on a platter. _"__You have successfully conquered this test. But what of the others? I have quite a few things in store for you all. Come morning, you might wish for the sweet release of death. Not that I would let you die of course." _

"Let's get them to the cafeteria Miyaki." Daisuke said, looking away from the monitor. The circus performer nodded, holding her hand out to the nurse, helping her to her feet.

"Thank you, for getting the two of us out of here. We can find our way to the cafeteria. I'm sure there are others like us that need help."

"Are you sure about that? We don't mind walking you there."

"It's fine...I feel a lot better than before. We can make it on our own," Reukra said, earning a frown from the Storyteller.

"Hey listen...about the serum thing...I'm sorry okay?"

"It's fine, it wasn't your fault. I genuinely thought I was gonna die. Whatever this serum did, it made all of the pain go away. Maybe the old man was messing with us and there was a nerve gas affecting me. Regardless, we'll get out of your way...thanks again, seriously."

"Um...alright. Just follow the signs, all the buildings are connected. You'll get to the cafeteria eventually. Tell the ones there that Daisuke and Miyaki found you!" the blonde said. Reukra nodded, snagging two tickets from the platter, handing one to the nurse who just looked at it oddly. The two went on their way without a word. The storyteller made his way to the platter and took a hold of the ticket, frowning as he looked at it.

"All of that bullshit...for this stupid ticket?"

"Hora Island Silver Ticket, good for one golden ticket when 5 are collected. It even lists the ways to earn more on the back," Miyaki said, pointing the list to her friend. He shoved his own in his messenger bag, reaching for his gun.

"Let's go. We gotta meet up with Shiro and Mackenzie, we can't waste anymore time."

_**xxx(End of Prologue 5)xxx**_

**A/N: Hello everyone! I come to you with the 5****th****Prologue for Isle of the Damned. This was supposed to be the final one but things change. Sadly, I had 7 characters left to introduce, and I couldn't fit them all in a single chapter. So the result, I had to split them in half. Even then, this chapter is 39 pages alone. Imagine if I had gone through with the original plan...you'd all hate me for making it so long haha.**

**I can happily announce that the cast has been filled. Meaning we can move on with Chapter 1 when the time comes. I don't know when Chapter 1 will begin, but I have my sights set on June 5****th****so expect the first Chapter to begin then. I need to finish that damn Hora Island map lol.**

**As for general news...I don't have any haha. The story is going great so far, the cast is filled, that's all I really wanna say.**

**Shoutouts to Abitat Eco, Alter Ego AV, Little Max and Red who's OC's made their debut in this chapter. It's been a long time coming, but I can finally say...I'm gonna have a shit time killing these kiddos. Especially Dalila and Miya...they're so precious! God...whyyyyyyyyy?**

**Finally, my last shoutout/dedication comes to JCW18, who is not only working on his own story, with the help of fellow writers BirblordAlmighty, and Trust Me, but happens to be turning 20 tomorrow, May 7****th****. So this one is dedicated to you man, I really do hope you like it!**

**Whelp, that's it for now. Expect the final final prologue soon, probably around the same time next week. Until then, smell ya later! And Happy Early Birthday JCW18!**


	7. P6: Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

_Finale _

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 Building #3 (Corridor) **

**Time: 10:33PM**

**Date: August 1****st**** 2020**

_**xxx**_

It had been a little more than two minutes since Shiro and Mackenzie had taken off from their group. The executioner didn't at all seem bothered by the fact they were wondering around alone. Mackenzie on the other hand was trying and failing not to turn into a blubbering mess. She didn't do well with terrifying situations. She traced the fresh cut on her forearm with a finger, remembering how merely an hour ago, it had been an open wound. How she had been bleeding out and on the verge of dying. She was very thankful to Nyx for what she had done, and now she couldn't watch over her savior. She took a shaky breath, reaching into Daisuke's messenger bag for the frying pan Charlotte had let her borrow. Something about the cool metal made her feel calm.

"Hey Kenzie, are you okay? You aren't feeling dizzy are you?" Shiro asked, causing the girl to jump a bit. She had forgotten the other girl had been with her for a second. She stopped walking, turning to face her new friend.

"I'm a little frightened. All of this is really scary Shiro, I don't want to die," she replied. Shiro gave the girl a giggle, wrapping her arm around her shoulder.

"Listen here Kenzie, I am not gonna let ya die, kay? You got a whole lotta life left! So keep your fear in check, we'll get off this spooky island in no time!" she said cheerfully. Mackenzie brushed her arm away, taking a cautious step forward.

"How will we do that? It seems impossible. I-I don't want to kill anyone for a ticket...I'd rather find another way out. But the temptation is there, we'll most likely get killed by someone else."

"I doubt that will happen. Sides', big sis gave your her frying pan right? You can just bash someone in the head with it. Show them their brain on drugs!"

"N-no...I think I'll use it for self defense only," the Painter said softly, looking away from the gyaru. The two started walking again, an awkward silence filling the two. Shiro didn't exactly know how to comfort the skittish girl.

Unlike with Daisuke, who seemed to scold her every time she tried to lighten the mood. Mackenzie seemed different. She felt that if she tried to joke around in the same with the girl, that she'd just end up unnerving her more than she already was. She hummed softly to herself, her eyes tracing the girl's figure. She snapped her fingers, a giddy expression on her face.

"I got it! You are an artist right?"

"Huh? I suppose. I don't consider my writing an art form, it was pretty awful now that I think about it." the blonde painter replied.

"Well, an artist needs to be fashionable and trendy. She can't just paint in drags after all," she said, gesturing to Mackenzie's outfit. She looked it over, frowning a bit.

"Oh?"

"Yup-yup! So my promise to you, when we get off this awful shithole, I'll make you something cute! Maybe something to match with me. I already promised to make Daisuke this sweet jacket to replace the one he lost. I won't take no for an answer!"

"I ...I guess. Are you sure about that Shiro? I wouldn't want to trouble you,"

"It's no problem at all! I love making cute clothes, especially for cuties like yourself." the executioner said with a grin, making the blonde blush. She looked away briefly, noticing they had arrived at a dead end. Rather, it was a corridor with two closed doors, and one side corridor that was open.

The hallway doors were wide open, and unlike the previous corridor, this one was dimly lit. The florescent lamps hanging from the ceiling flickered on and off. A few of the windows were broken, and the rain from the outside was blowing in with the whistling wind. The temperature was much colder here, causing both females to shiver. Steeling her nerves, Shiro took the first step, brandishing her butcher, taking a shaky breath as she walked. Mackenzie followed suit, clutching her cast iron pan tightly her small hands.

"So, what do you think happened here?"

"I don't know Shiro, and I really don't care. I just want to find whoever it is may be here and get out. I don't wanna die here," the painter said softly. Shiro sighed, turning to face her again.

"Mackenzie, I already promised you. I am not letting you die here okay? How about we get to know each other a bit, you know...to keep ourselves calm."

"I guess...well, h-how did you become part of the AUP? Did you join up or...were you kidnapped?" she asked softly. Shiro hummed to herself as she pondered the question.

"Hmm...you could say I wanted talent like every other talentless hack in our planet. I noticed how people with talent seemed to be appreciated while I grew up. I yearned for it too y'know? One day, this really cool looking man approached me about it. I was taken to a lab, experimented on and boom, I woke up on this island,"

"Did they make you do anything?" Mackenzie asked curiously. Shiro shook her head, fiddling with the edges of her skirt.

"Not really...they gave me the talent of executioner, but I've never killed anyone. I spent an entire year designing death traps though. I wasn't told what they were for. Whenever I asked, they told me it was for some museum in Europe. Wasn't until the world went to shit that I figured out what they were for,"

"The killing games...you mean to tell me you designed all of those executions?"

"I guess? I'm not sure...I think all of the ones used in Hope's Peak were designed by someone else. But I'm not certain. Honestly, I'm just a sweet person who has a hobby of designing clothes. I wanted to be the Ultimate Fashion Designer originally, but hey...at least I got a talent in something. I'm not really complaining." Shiro replied. She paused by one of the windows, glancing down at the lot. The rainstorm had increased, the swirling clouds above roaring in anger. "What about you? How did you wind up in this mess?"

"I wanted to be a writer. I discovered my passion for it when I was in middle school. Growing up in Norway, you had a lot of inspiration when it came to mythology. I remember taking inspiration for a story from a boy my age. He ended up winning a writing contest, so I decided to do the same," the blonde said, a small smile appearing on her face.

"And...did you get a big blue ribbon on that sucker?"

"N-no...I got last place, actually." Mackenzie said, her smile shifting to a frown. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "According to the judges, my writing was littered with grammatical errors. Missing punctuation marks, spaces that weren't needed, the wrong use of words. It was a train wreck. What can you expect? I was eleven years old and I didn't have an editor!"

"That's rough...did they read it aloud?"

"No ...but they did humiliate me in front of the others. They said they were trying to give me "tips" on how to write. I took it all in stride. I decided to better myself at writing. I took inspiration from people like Toko Fukawa and Daisuke. But I never made it ...I didn't become an Ultimate. I started posting my works online, when I got an email."

"Let me guess, you wish to have talent, you were born in a world that doesn't acknowledge your potential. I can give you purpose. I can give you what you want. Join us, and we'll make you an Ultimate, loved and adored by millions. Am I in the ballpark?"

"It wasn't word for word but ...yeah. I was stupid ...I accepted it, and now I'm here. I really hope my mom is okay ...she wasn't doing to well when I left home," Mackenzie said, trying not to think of her mother. Shiro wanted to say something, but stopped at the sound of thunder. The lights finally gave out, a loud hiss filling the corridor before throwing it into relative silence.

"Whelp, no time like the present!" the executioner said, taking her first steps down the now darkened hallway.

As the two continued to walk down the hall, they noticed the significant drop in temperature. They both guessed it had to do with the open windows, but had noticed the wind had practically died down the further they went. The two ladies made it to the end of the corridor, finding nothing more than a set of wooden doors. Mackenzie gulped audibly as Shiro reached for the door handle, keeping her knife ready to strike.

"Okay, at the count of three, we break into the room."

"Got it!"

"Alright...3!" Shiro cried, throwing the doors open as she raced into the room. Mackenzie let out a surprised yelp, forcing herself to follow after the executioner. The two were greeted with an empty containment cell, which held nothing but a painting within.

"What? It's just a dumb old painting!" the girl exclaimed, a look of disappointment written on her face. Mackenzie however looked slightly relieved, at least until the monitor in the room sparked to life.

"_Welcome to your trial ladies," _the voice of Jibo said. Mackenzie shuddered a bit as she turned to face the screen.

"Man, you look whipped. It's only been an hour, what's up with you old man? Are your old bones crying for a break?" Shiro taunted. Jibo leaned forward in his seat, his expression changing slightly. The Ultimate Painter couldn't help but notice how worn out the man looked. He had a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead and looked exhausted. Despite that, he was still sporting that grin.

"_I'd be careful with your choice of words Miss Hayashi," _the man spat. Mackenzie couldn't help but notice how he forced himself to say the word miss. Regaining his composure, Jibo continued. _"__You two are about to be put in your own test. You wish to be free of this island do you not?"_

"I..."

"Don't listen to him Kenzie. He's trying to bait you, and we don't have time for his crap. Let's just forget this dumb painting and get out of here,"

"_Ah... well you could do that. But then you'd be condemning someone to death," _the man said, causing the two ladies to stop. Shiro glanced over her shoulder, glaring at the screen.

"The hell do you mean by that?" she asked. This question only made Jibo lean back, an almost mischievous look on upon his countenance.

"_I would like you both to meet SCP-6701. Object class, Euclid. This is a painting that was recovered from an undisclosed location. It is dated back to the Italian Renaissance Era. Supposedly, this is a haunted painting. People who stare it long enough, begin to hallucinate, saying they hear voices coming from within the canvas. When observed from behind a camera, SCP-6701 will look like a painting of the Mona Lisa. It was thought for the longest time, to be a second print of the famous portrait." _

"Alright...and what the hell does that have to do with us?" the executioner asked, furling her brows in confusion, as she looked at the painting. Jibo let out a small chuckle, shifting his gaze toward Mackenzie.

"_Our Ultimate Painter gets to try out her new talent. You see, I've been examining this entity for awhile now. There is in fact a person, trapped within the oils of this painting. It will be up to you to free her from her prison. If not..." _the man paused, hitting a button on his control panel. The two girls glanced up at the ceiling, hearing a small clinking sound. They noticed several sprinklers had come down from the ceiling. _"__I'm afraid this modern art masterpiece, will flow down the drain. You have one shot at saving her Miss Alaestar, don't let her die," _he said, with that he tuned off. Mackenzie looked back at the canvas, a look of utter despair on her face.

"How am I supposed to save someone I know nothing about?"

"Forget him Kenzie! Like I said before, this is all a trick of the mind. This is just a dumb old painting!"

Mackenzie however, felt drawn toward the canvas. She didn't know why it was, but she could tell there was something odd about it. The woman that was pictured on it seemed to bear a sad expression. The detailed brush strokes, and the pastels used were seemingly old. That much she could tell at a glance. She walked up to it, reaching up for the canvas when she saw the woman move. She let out a scream, falling back, eyes filled with surprise. Shiro stood beside her, opening and closing her mouth, trying and failing to formulate words. The two watched as the woman held up her hand, using one of her digits to spell out a single word.

" _Hjælp."_ _xxx_

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #1 (West Corridor)**

**Time: 10:45PM**

**Date: August 1****st ****2020**

"Do you actually think there are others like us here?" Riku asked, as he walked down the darkened hallway. Normally, he'd have trouble seeing his surroundings, but due to his new neko aspects, he could see very well in the dark.

"If Momota said there was someone else here, then that's likely true. This site is quite large, so I wouldn't put it past him to have others hanging around here," Kanemoto said, shining her flashlight around. Charlotte sighed, taking a sip from her water bottle.

"Did it need to be needlessly hot in here? Jeez, I feel like I'm gonna shrivel up if I stay here too long,"

"So uh Charlotte ...may I ask you a question?" the Ultimate Neko said, grabbing the girl's attention.

"Sure, ask away. Not like I have anything to hide," she mumbled, brushing some of her pink locks behind her shoulder. Riku's ears twitched slightly as he gathered his thoughts.

"When you uh ...transform, do you lose your..." he paused, looking away in embarrassment. Charlotte quirked a brow, lips pursed slightly forward.

"Lose my what?"

"You know! When you get your tail, do you lose your ...personal area."

Kanemoto let out a snort, trying to contain her laughter at the pinkette's expression. She balled her hand into a fist, her knuckles turning white from how hard she was squeezing it.

"I'll have you know, I haven't transformed yet. And even if I had, why the hell would I tell you that?"

"W-well...I'm just curious you know? I've never met a real life siren before. I wanted to know if you were like Ariel!" the boy exclaimed, a sheepish look on his face.

"You tell me Sylvester, do you like chasing birds now that you got turned into a house cat?"

"Hey now...let's not start with the insults. Charlotte cut him some slack, he's just curious. All growing boys want to know what a vagina looks like,"

"Well if you want to show him yours, I'm not stopping you," the siren cried back, causing the Pokemon Trainer to blush.

"Okay! I'm sorry for asking. It's just...I'm trying to cope with all these weird changes you know? When I signed up for the AUP, I wasn't expecting to be turned into a Nekomata. The old man said he'd make me talented, and that the world would adore me. I wasn't expecting to become...well this!" Riku said, gesturing to himself. He fixed his sweater, which was slowly sliding off his shoulders.

"Hmm...okay, let me ask a different question. Did you join the AUP voluntarily because you felt useless?" Kanemoto asked, a hint of seriousness in her voice. Charlotte remained silent for a moment, shaking her head.

"No. I joined the AUP so that I could get a good singing voice. I will admit, it was probably the worst mistake I've ever made. I just," she paused, taking a deep breath. She looked at her hand, a squeamish look appearing on her face as she stared at the webbing. "I wanted to be someone in life. The Tragedy hit us hard, you could say...I wanted to be a ray of hope for those that I care about. We were forced underground after what happened, all I had was my voice. I wanted to make people smile,"

"I guess we're not so different then, Charlotte. I was a YouTuber before all of this. I will admit, I was quite dedicated to my craft. Even if I was just leeching off of other people's work." the neko said, earning an odd look from the two girls. "I used to be in a group that did voice work. I wanted to be the Ultimate Fandubber in the future,"

"I see ...if that's the case then why would you say you are a leech?" the siren asked curiously. Riku shrugged, glancing away from the two.

"Ah well, it's probably because I am. I mean, the only reason I got so many hits on YouTube in the first place is because I was with other popular voice actors. Not only that, I've dubbed various books as well. Including parts of Fire Emblem: Heroes Within."

"Daisuke's book? I remember seeing that in store shelves awhile back, before the world ended. I didn't know you narrated it," Kanemoto said. Riku shook his head, his tail flicking back and forth slightly.

"I didn't...it's a weird way to describe it. It's kind of like an online theater if you will. A voiced role play. I just had my lines and I read them. I wasn't all that good if I'm being honest,"

"Riku I'm sure you did a wonderful job. I've never listen to your work, but just from your voice, I can tell you did great! Maybe when we get outta here, I can watch your stuff!" Charlotte said, earning a soft chuckle from the neko.

"If you say so...my stuff isn't all that good really, but you might like it,"

"We'll all get out of here soon! I just know it. Then we'll all chill at my house and play some Pokemon! Thankfully, I never leave home without my Gameboy, and my 3DS!" Kanemoto said cheerfully.

"Generation 2 of Pokemon sucks."

"Listen here you mother fucker," the Pokemon trainer began, only for a loud creak to cut her off. The group of three paused in the middle of the hallway, glancing around the area for a moment.

"You guys heard that right?" the siren asked, earning nods from the two.

"It came from over here," Riku said, pointing to the opposite hallway. The three of them started moving toward it, hearing the sounds of voices. They picked up the pace, almost sprinting toward the end of the hall. "They're coming from behind this metal door!" he said, coming to a stop before it.

"Can you open it?"

"It's locked!" Riku said, trying and failing to open the door. Charlotte tried her luck, but wasn't able to open the door. She knocked loudly on it, the metallic sound echoing through the empty hall.

"Hey! Whoever is in there, are you okay?"

"Do you guys hear that?" Kanemoto asked, causing the two to stop banging on the door. Riku pressed his ear against the door, narrowing his eyes a bit as he tried to listen in.

"It...it sounds like running water."

"Running water?" the siren queried, mimicking his reply.

"Yeah...like it's filling up with water!" he cried, as he backed away from the door. Charlotte placed her hand on it, feeling just how cold it was. She could feel the hairs on her arm stand slightly, almost yearning for her to take a plunge.

"If that room is filling with water, that means someone tripped a booby trap. We gotta get them outta there!"

"Uh, how exactly are we gonna do that?" Riku asked, glancing at the Pokemon Trainer. She gave him a grin, spinning her hat around her head so the bill was facing backward. She reached into her bag for one of her pokeballs, pressing the center button. "Alright! Gardevoir I choose you!"

Tossing the ball into the air, it snapped open to reveal a bipedal creature. Its body was mostly white in color, with a white flowing skirt around its legs. It had long slender arms, and a pink appendage at the center of its chest. Her eyes were crimson red, hidden slightly under the green hair like bowl-cut.

"Gardevoir~" it cried, in a low feminine voice. Charlotte and Riku stood in shock, not expecting to see the bipedal creature emerging from the confined sphere.

"This is so cool!"

"Kanemoto focus!" Charlotte cried, pulling her from her stupor. The trainer cleared her throat, eyes falling on her pokemon partner.

"This is our first time battling together. I don't know how you were created, but just know that everything will be fine. You can trust me," she said softly. The creature narrowed its eyes warily, giving her a nod. Alright, then please, use Psychic on that door. We need to free the ones that are inside."

"Gardevoir!" she replied, holding her arm up. Her eyes glowed a brilliant blue, enveloping the entire door. It twisted and warped from the raw power, until the bolts finally snapped.

"Oh shi-"

Riku was cut off by the sheer force of the water that poured out of the room. It didn't take long for the three to get swept away. Charlotte, the only one who could see clearly, grabbed onto one of the bars from a nearby window. She let out a scream of pain as her legs began to change. They slowly joined together, brilliant glowing scales covering her skin. She could feel the bones in her lower body snapping and rearranging to fit her new form. The water slowly receded as the room finally emptied, leaving the three ultimates scrambling for a few moments.

"Is everyone alright?" Kanemoto cried out, forcing herself to stand up.

"I'm fine, soaking wet but purrfectly fine." Riku said, chuckling slightly. The glare the Pokemon trainer gave him made him cough into his hand. "Where's Charlotte?"

"Over here," a pained voice called out. The two looked behind, back toward the now empty room. The Ultimate Siren was laying on the ground, her lower half having changed into a beautiful tail. Her glittering scales seemed to shine in the low lighting. Her tail fin was slapping the ground lightly, as she tried to sit up. She looked at her arms, noticing the scales that had grown around her wrists. She also noticed her sharp her fingernails had become, along with the fins on her wrists.

"I'm a monster," she said softly.

"You are not a monster! Look at me Charlotte, you are a beautiful human being. You just got fish parts now, but you are still you." Kanemoto said softly.

"She's right Charlie. If anyone is a monster here, it's definitely me. I'm the one that got turned into a house cat after all," Riku said with a chuckle. Charlotte let out a small hiss as she moved her tail, biting the inside of her cheek.

"That was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. Guess I'll have to wait until I give birth to see if it compares,"

"Pfft...I'm sure the day will come when you'll be a mom. Riku, I need you and Gardevoir to head back to the cafeteria. See if Haruna can get some dry towels. Maybe even a cart to wheel her out of here,"

"Will do, come on Gardevoir. You can trust me," the neko said, earning a curious look from the pokemon. She glanced back briefly to Kanemoto who gave her a nod. Once the two left, she called out Ninetales, and asked her to use her Flamethrower to evaporate the nearby water.

"Kanna...the people in the room...check to see if they're alive,"

"Already on it Charlie." the Pokemon trainer said, as she headed back toward the room. She took a single step inside, her hands flying to her mouth at the sight.

There were three bodies in the room, and all three of them looked lifeless. Two girls and one man, it seemed. She took a step forward, kneeling down next to one of the girls, only to find a panicked look on her face. Her face was blue from having held her breath for so long. The other girl in a similar state. Both had passed on. Kanemoto turned to the boy, turning him over to see if he was alive. As soon as she did he started coughing, water gushed from his mouth, as he struggled to breathe.

"Holy shit! Are you alright?" the girl cried. The young man continued clearing his lungs out. Shakily forcing himself to sit up.

"I'm...fine." he wheezed, taking shaggy breaths. Kanemoto looked him over for injury, her eyes tracing every inch of his body.

He had dark, wavy green hair, darkened from being drenched. He was a rather tall boy, but seemed a lot slimmer for someone his age. Kanemoto could tell he was a bit underweight. His tunic stuck to him, the shape of his ribs visible through the soaked cloth. For some reason, how the boy was dressed reminded him slightly of Link from the Zelda series. That is, until she saw the dark green butterfly wings growing out of his back. He shuddered a bit as he sat firmly on the ground, wringing his tunic out. His gaze shifted toward the two deceased girls, a pained look appearing on his face.

"Sharena, Emma." the boy said softly, reaching his hand for them. Kanemoto took a hold of it, shaking his head.  
"They're gone. You are lucky you aren't like them right now...tell me, what lead to this?" she asked. The boy looked back at the brunette, sighing audibly.

"W-we woke up in this room. Then this old man told us about the killing game. Said there were others like us. If we wanted to live, we had to kill two people to get out. If we didn't, then the room would fill up with water. Sharena and Emma refused to kill, even with the man encouraging them. So we waited, and the room filled up..." he paused, almost bursting into tears. "Emma drowned Sharena just as we were running out of air. She became desperate...she tried to fight me under the water, but I kicked her in the chin. I guess she passed out and drowned."

"Hey, don't feel bad! Be glad that you survived... yeah it's wrong that someone died but...better them than you right?" the pokemon trainer said, earning a shaky nod from the boy.

"I guess. I didn't want anyone to die, but I didn't want to die either. L-let's just get out of here, p-please." he said. Kanemoto nodded, standing up. She held her hand out, helping him out.

"It's nice to meet ya by the way! I'm Kanemoto, what's your name?"

"My name? You can just call me Felicks. That man told me I was the Ultimate Fairy now...guess it makes sense with my wings and all," he said, shaking his wings slightly. Kanemoto looked at them for a brief moment, before turning around.

"Well, you aren't the weirdest person I've met today. I am friends with a fish and a humanoid cat."

"Hey! I heard that!" a pair of voices called out, causing her to cringe.

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #4 (Breached Containment Unit)**

**Time: 10:55PM**

**Date: August 1st 2020**

"We're rapidly running outta room here! What the fuck are we gonna do?" Ashton shouted, as the spiked wall lurched forward. There were mere feet from falling within the wood chipper.

"Let's just remain calm, the only thing that will result from panic is an early death,"

"Easy for you to say lady. Why the hell don't you take the first plunge for us? That would at least save both our lives!" the treant said, earning a glare from the dryad.

"Perhaps you'd like to go instead? A true gentlemen would follow the rule 'Ladies First'"

"_Ugh...these two idiots are the worst. Why the frick did I get stuck with them?" _Miya thought to herself. She felt the wall behind her jerk slightly, causing them to walk one foot closer to their deaths.

She glanced at the wood chipper, eyes narrowing a bit as she peered at the blades. They were whirling rather fast, enough to shred a human body with ease. However she also noticed the blades were nothing more than large saw blades. Her eyes shifted back toward the door, seeing a small ledge on it, big enough for someone to stand on. She snapped her fingers, a small smirk on her face.

"Eureka! I've got it!"

"Huh? You've got what? A tummy ache?" Dalila asked, looking at the girl in concern. The Missing Persons Investigator brushed her off, looking straight at Ashton.

"Hey tree man. You can grow your limbs right?"

"What? I dunno...maybe? Why do you ask?" the man queried. She pointed toward the saws, specifically the rod the discs were mounted too.

"Those saw blades are mounted to a single spinning rod. They're not spinning separately like I thought. So, if you stopped the rod from spinning, then I could hop over to the ledge and open the door,"

"How would you do that?" the ultimate dryad asked, causing the girl to smirk. She reached into her back pocket, pulling out a lockpick set.

"Lock picking is like the first thing you have to learn. After all, if you are searching for a missing person, you have to search everywhere. Even creepy abandoned houses!" she said cheerfully. The wall behind them moved, almost causing them to fall forward. Ashton grumbled as he looked at the blades.

"One thing, if I focus on stopping the blades, that won't stop this wall. What the hell am I supposed to do about that?"

"We'll figure it out. Miya has one shot at this, and we have to take it now." Dalila said, earning a nod from the Investigator. Ashton nodded, reaching his hand down toward the blades.

"Come on dammit, I know you can grow. Come on!" the man said. Sadly his arm remained the same. Dalila looked at her hand for a brief moment, frowning as she lost herself in thought.

"_I wonder, if I'm a dryad now...I can control trees... that means I can stimulate growth. Yes, this might work out perfectly," _

She moved forward, placing her hand on Ashton's chest. He gave her an odd look, at least until he noticed her hand glowing a bright green. He felt an odd energy filling his body, almost invigorating him. He felt his hand growing slightly, several thick brown vines shot from his finger tips, flowing down into the wood chipper, wrapping around the metallic rod. The machine whined and screeched as it was forced to slowly stop, sparks started filling the room, coming from the corners of the machine.

"Go! I can't hold it for too long!" the treant cried. Miya quickly climbed down, using the rod as a means to stand. She bent her knees slightly, jumping toward the ledge. She easily pulled herself up, sighing with relief as she looked back. Ashton gave a cry as the vines snapped, causing the machine to whirl back to life.

"I'll have this open in a jif! Just hold back that wall!" Miya cried over her shoulder. She pulled out her necessary tools, looking around for a keyhole. Thankfully, she was able to find one and quickly started her task.

"Alright Ashton, do you think you can stop this wall, at least for a little bit?" Dalila asked. Ashton sighed, but gave her a nod, holding his hands out. He placed them between the spikes, planting his feet firmly in the ground.

"If I root myself to the floor, I'll be able too. I'll need your help though, I can't tap into that strength without you boosting me. Guess I should apologize, its your ultimate talent that's saving our asses right now," the treant said, earning a smile from the dryad.

"Just be kinder to people, and I'm sure everything will be fine." she said. This time, she placed both her hands on his chest, giving him a nod. "I'll pour all my power into you, so you do your best to keep this wall back. Miya, it's all up to you!"

"Thanks for putting the pressure on Lila, really appreciate it!" the Investigator cried back, rattling her tools a bit as she spoke. "Ugh...how did daddy do this again? If it's a tumbler lock, rotate it to the right? Or was it the left? No wait...was I supposed to use the torsion wrench first or the snake rake? Gah...this is so confusing!"

**_xxx_**

"Do you hear that Jose?" Eris asked, causing the Demon to stop. The two of them had been making their way around the compound, but had been utterly lost for the last hour. The Ultimate Gorgon had been following her instincts, but that seemed to lead her to places that she didn't wish to ever see again.

"Hear what? Aside from the wind, I don't hear anything," the man replied. Eris closed her eyes for a moment, feeling her snakes moving. They were hissing, rather loudly at that. She could almost understand what they were saying.

"The snakes...they said...people nearby."

"A rescue?"

"Probably, let's see if we can find out who it is." she said, continuing ahead. She was about to take a right turn when one of her snakes nibbled on her ear, causing her to stop. She was about to scream, only for it to start tugging in the other direction. She nodded to herself, changing her direction.

"So, tell me about yourself Jose...something to fill the silence," Eris said, trying to make conversation with the man. He had been rather reclusive since they had met. His golden eyes glowed brightly in the semi-darkness, making her a bit uneasy.

"There's nothing to really share. I grew up in Mexico, things were rough but I survived,"

"Ah...what lead you to join the AUP then?"

"I didn't join willingly, if that's what you are asking. I wanted to be a necromancer. The old man made me an offer that I couldn't refuse," Jose simply said, earning a frown from Eris.

"Necromancy? You mean black magic?"

"If that's what you wanna call it, sure. I had a deep fascination with it. I wanted to study all I could about it. But I eventually wanted more... to truly communicate with the dead. You could say, thanks to the Tragedy, I lost my way. Now I'm here, a monster among men."

"You aren't a monster Jose. If anything, the real monster is me, I've got snakes on my head after all." the gorgon said. One of her snakes hissed loudly, while another bit her ear. "Ow! Quit it you little bastards!"

"I don't suppose you'd like to share your story with me? Were you a volunteer for this mierda?" the demon asked. Eris remained silent for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Yeah...something like that," she replied, looking away from him. Jose's brows furrowed a bit.

"Why would you join a crazy man like Momota? Clearly he's off his rocker." he said. "Ese viejo esta fuera de sus cabales!"

"I." she paused, licking her abnormally dried lips. "I wished to atone for something I did. Something I cannot discuss freely. Let's just drop this,"

Before Jose could even speak, a loud shout erupted from one of the nearby rooms. The two shared a look, before running toward the source of the voice. They were met with a single corridor, leading to one metallic door, that was rattling rather loudly. The two continued onward, reaching the door.

"Hello? Is anyone inside?" Eris cried.

"_About fricken time! Sheesh, when the hell were you gonna get here? Some daring rescue!" _a female voice replied.

"Rescue? You got it all wrong homes, we're not here to rescue anyone. We're lost ourselves," Jose said.

"_Just open the door, before the wise Deku Tree gets turned into fertilizer!"_

"_I swear to Jesus, I'm going to kill you, you goddamn flesh hound!" _a male voice shouted back, sounding rather strained.

"We gotta open this door, Jose do you see anything that could help?" Eris asked, turning to face the demon. He looked around for a moment, shrugging his shoulders.

"I can't see anything,"

"_Dalila hang on! Help is just outside, don't you dare fall in that chipper!" _

"_I'm trying to hang on Miya, but I'm running out of room to stand!"_

"Come on, there's gotta be something! I can only turn living things to stone and and even then, that would screw them!"

"I'm trying to think of something dammit! Que carajos quieres que aga?" he shouted back. He felt his muscles bulging a bit with his anger. An idea crossed his mind, and he quickly went with it, grabbing a hold of the door handle. "Yo, if you are standing behind this door then move. I'm about to rip it out!"

"_What? Okay!" _

Jose didn't waste much time, using his newfound strength to pull the door open. The hinges snapped clean off, nuts and bolts falling onto the ground. As soon as he dropped the door, the whirling saws slowly came to a stop. A young lady shot out first, falling to her knees and gratefully kissing the ground, an act Eris found rather gross. She glanced inside the room, seeing two others standing within, literally inches from falling into the saw blades.

"Oh, thank the heavens! You saved our lives!"

"Tch...took ya long enough," the treant replied angrily. Eris and Jose shared a look, both surprised to see two more monstrous teenagers.

"So...you wouldn't happen to be ultimates like us, would you?" Eris asked curiously.

"Actually, would you believe me if I said yes?"

"Um excuse me, not to interrupt your lovely discussion or anything. But can't you see that we are moments away from FALLING INTO A SAW PIT! Would you move your fucking asses!"

"How are we supposed to help you homes? That pit is stopping us from going to you. Why don't you just jump?" Jose asked curiously. The treant grit his teeth.  
"You tell me _homes_. Why the fuck don't you use your intelligence in construction to build me a bridge. Oh wait, let me guess... you left all of your smarts back in Mexico when you hopped the border didn't you?"

"That is enough! You should be grateful to him, he did save your ass now, Mister Jolly Green Giant! So why don't you shut your fucking mouth already and let us come up with a solution to this predicament?" Eris snapped angrily, her snakes hissing loudly. Jose was quick to cover her eyes, almost slapping her as his hand covered them.

"Easy there Muchacha. You almost turned the fucker to stone," he said.

"Ashton, you have to stop causing a fuss. We shall get out of here just as quickly as we can. Insulting our saviors is not the solution. Miya dear, do you happen to have any rope with you?"

"Miya? Are you talking about that girl that shot out of here?" the demon asked, earning a nod from the dryad. "Yeah, that one high tailed it. She ran outta here like a bat outta hell."

"Ugh...that idiot, I really do hope she gets her flesh flayed from every bone in her body," Ashton grumbled in annoyance. Dalila sighed, as she looked around for a way out.

"Well, at least the saws stopped, we can definitely get out of here." she said, keeping her hopes up.

It took them a few minutes, but the two were finally able to leave their would be death trap. Ashton stood at his full height, stretching his tired limbs after having to hold the wall in place for so long. Dalila went for the friendlier approach, hugging both Eris and Jose rather tightly as thanks, though the Ultimate Demon was quick to break the hug, not wanting to be shown any affection by the girl. After short introductions, Eris caught them up to speed.

"So that's the way of it then...this is all just one big research test?"

"Apparently. We've been trying to reach the cafeteria for the last hour. Sadly we haven't ran into anyone else, well ...until we found you." Jose replied.

"That means there are other fleshies here? Great...here I was hoping to spend time in peace, alone," Ashton said, stressing the word a bit. Dalila brushed him off, a confident look on her face.

"Well, if its the cafeteria we must find, then we should search for it together. Not to mention, Miya took off to who knows where! We can't let her run around by herself. She could get hurt!"

"Agreed, even if she's seemingly normal, we can't exactly be sure. Jibo could have given her some weird mutant talent," Eris added.

"Uh hey...you three notice that tray right there?" Jose asked, pointing to the tray that had appeared behind the group. They all shared a look, not exactly knowing how it go there.

"Maybe it's food?" Dalila asked.

"Doesn't smell like food to me." Ashton added quietly, crossing his willowy arms as he glared the tray down. Eris however felt brave, and knelt before it, pulling the lid off. Resting on its surface, were five silver tickets.

"Tickets?"

"A form of payment it seems. 5 of us passed whatever test Momota set up for us. I guess you three survived his test, and since we saved you, we were rewarded," she said, scooping the tickets up. The Gorgon traced each one with her eyes, before holding them out. "One for each of us, including Miya."

"The hell do I want this damn thing for? What is a ticket gonna do? It isn't going to turn me back is it?"

"This ticket could be your saving grace. Collect five and you get off this island alive. However, if you don't want it, I'll gladly take it," Eris said, about to place the remaining three tickets away. Ashton swiped his from her grasp, stuffing it in his jacket.

"Let's go, I'm sick of staring at your flesh,"

**_xxx_**

**SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #3 (Painting Containment Unit)**

**Time: 11:00PM**

**Date: August 1****st ****2020**

"You've been at this for like 40 minutes already Kenzie! Just give up on this stupid painting!" Shiro cried, shivering slightly from the cold water. Mackenzie however didn't judge. She had been using her body as a shield, stopping the cold water from landing on the canvas. She had noticed, with every drop that hit it, the woman trapped inside seemed to scream. She needed to get her out, no matter the cost.

"If you wanna leave then do it, I'm not stopping you Shiro. But someone here is asking me for help, and I can't leave them. Whoever is in here, is suffering!" the painter cried back. Shiro stomped her foot, her soaked hair swinging back and forth.

"I swear, it's shit like this that will get you killed! Where was this bravery when we were being chased by ravenous zombie dogs?" she cried out, only for it to remain unanswered. Mackenzie had lost focus, eyes only on the painting.

"_Okay...how do I get her out of here? There has to be something, I've looked this thing over twice. There has to be something, a charmed nail, a broken piece in the hemp. Something, anything!" _she thought, desperately. She traced the edge of the wooden frame, hoping something would come out at her.

"Ugh ...I honestly don't know why you are so convinced someone his in there. Sure, they wrote help but it could have been a trick. This thing is an SCP after all." Shiro mused, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers. "Pfft ...maybe you can just _paint _a door for the spirit to come out! That'd be a hoot!"

"Paint a door? Hmm...that's it! Shiro you are a genius!" Mackenzie cried out, earning a confused look from the executioner. She shrugged, watching the blonde grab a hold of the painting, racing out of the room.

Shiro did nothing but follow, not knowing what the painter was trying to do. She noticed they were heading back the way they had come, toward the meeting place they had set up with Daisuke and Miyaki. She picked up the pace, panting a bit from the sudden exertion. The two girls finally made it back, just as Daisuke and Miyaki entered the hall. The two adopted looks of concern, especially when Mackenzie fell onto the ground, still clutching the painting.

"Kenzie you shouldn't run like that! You lost a lot of blood earlier, you're still recovering!" Daisuke scolded.

"She's soaking wet, what the heck happened to you two?" Miyaki asked curiously.

"We were lead into a room with that stupid painting. Jibo said that if we didn't save the girl in the painting, she'd die." she said. As if on cue, the sprinklers above them started spraying, the hiss of the water filling the emptiness of the room.

"Daisuke quick! I need a pen, ink, anything!" the painter cried. The storyteller nodded, shuffling around his bag, procuring a bottle of ink and one of Mackenzie's paintbrushes. It was one that he had managed to salvage from her torn bag. The girl uncapped the ink, hastily dipping the brush.

"You know, if I hadn't come back from the dead, witnessed a zombie nurse and saw a boy make a duplicate of himself, I'd wonder if I was losing my mind."

"You'll be asking yourself that question a lot more frequently Kiki, trust me." Shiro said. Miyaki's eyes narrowed a bit at the nickname, but said nothing as she was more entranced by Mackenzie. The painter had flipped the canvas over, and had been using the ink to paint what looked like a doorway.

It took her only a minute to finish, but when she did she placed her hand on the painting. She let out a gasp as she felt her hand sink in, and she would have fallen in, had Daisuke not grabbed her. She felt around for a moment, unable to find anything.

"Whoa, that's so cool! You mean to tell me this painting is really magic?" Shiro asked.

"It's probably a portal to another world. You said it was an SCP right?" Daisuke asked, earning an nod from the executioner. "Then that's probably the case. Do you remember the number attached to it?"

"6701, apparently it was thought to be a replica of the Mona Lisa." Mackenzie replied. She let out yelp, pulling her arm slightly. "Something grabbed me, and it's pulling!"

"Quick, start pulling back! It might be the person we're supposed to save!" the storyteller cried, grabbing a hold of Mackenzie's wrist.

They continued pulling, indeed finding a hand wrapped around hers. They took a hold of it and continued to pull, until the painting finally gave way, and the figure was pulled completely from its confines.

She was wearing a bright red field cap with a hexagonal eye logo n the front, surrounded by arrows. Her ashen brown hair fell down her back, looking a bit scruffy, long bangs hang over her crimson eyes. She was wearing a simple dress shirt, white in color with a matching red layered skirt. She was wearing long black socks and long brown boots. She let out a sigh of relief, looking up at her four saviors.

"It's been awhile since I've seen another human," she said, giving them a grateful smile.

"H-holy shit! Mackenzie was right, there really was someone in that painting!"

"What? You still doubted me?" the painter asked, earning a shrug from Shiro.

"It felt like the thing to say at this exact moment. Anyway, hiya! Welcome to the world of the living, strange painting lady!" the executioner said, holding her hand out. "Shiro Hayashi, pleasure to meetcha!"

"You may call me Ibb Roos, though I suppose it would be better to give you my designation number. I am SCP D Class Personnel 270212. It's nice to meet all of you!" she said, bowing her head gratefully.

"The hell would we want your designation number for? You're name will suffice," Daisuke said. Ibb looked at him confused.

"Are you not members of the SCP Foundation? I had assumed you were all plain-clothed agents."

"N-no. We aren't...Miss Roos, are you aware of what's happened to the world?" Mackenzie asked curiously. Ibb closed her eyes to ponder the question, giving her a name.

"Yes ...the fall of an institution caused the world to end. Hope's Peak Academy, if I am correct. I remember, bearing witness to the killing game that was being broadcast at the time."

"What...what happened to you? How long were you trapped in that painting?" Miyaki asked, earning a frown from the woman.

"I am not sure...time doesn't exactly move in the Paint Realm. For me, it felt like 4 hours, the first time at least. In reality, I've been in that realm for about 400 years,"

"What? No...that's impossible!" Shiro cried out, a look of disbelief on her face. Daisuke placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

"This world ours is a petri-dish of the supernatural. That means stuff like this is possible. Still, 400 years is quite a long time. Especially for someone so young,"

"Indeed, I've grown used to being displaced by time. I was freed some years ago, by two agents of the SCP Foundation. The painting seemed to be inert while I was gone. I was studied as an instance of SCP-6701, however, it seemed as if I was completely normal. I was instead turned into a D-class personnel, and moved from site to site." Ibb said, clutching her hands tightly. "As a result of being in the paint realm, it seems I do not age, nor do I die of natural causes."

"I see...so the Foundation was probably trying to figure out if they could reverse engineer the painting. Would probably explain why it is here on Hora Island. But then...why were you put back in?" the storyteller asked. Ibb shrugged.

"I suppose it's because I wished to visit the Academy of Hope. The Foundation didn't want me straying too far from the sites. However as the world began to fall, I realized that I finally had my chance to escape. But my yearning for talent also made me make a fatal mistake. I followed the advice of a man named Jibo Momota. He said he'd grant me talent unlike anything I'd ever dreamed of. I spent the last few years stuck in that painting as a result," she said.

"_Ah, but it was a necessary step in completing your transformation!" _the voice of the Ultimate Biologist said. The group of five ran toward the source, finding a mounted monitor next to a speaker box. The main in question could be seen holding a microphone. _"__Miss Roos, you wished for talent, and I gave it to you. You are now the Ultimate Runecrafter. That was what you wanted correct? Talent?"_

"Ignore him, let's just get out of here. We need to meet up with the others anyway," Daisuke said, helping the woman to her feet. She looked back to the screen, where Jibo was silently watching.

"Thank you Doctor, I shall strive to use my talent to help everyone I can," she said, earning a laugh from the man.

"_You are very welcome, Miss Roos. Come morning, I believe you'll get to see the extent of what I have planned here, run along now. Ah, and before you go, I have a reward for Miss Alaestar." _

The wall before the girl opened up slightly, and a silver strip slowly slid out. She shakily took a hold of it, pulling it free from the wall, reading its words.

"A silver ticket?"

"_One of 5, you'll need to collect the others if you wish to leave this island. Miss Hayashi would have obtained one, but she didn't feel like helping you. Thus she will not be rewarded,"_

"Pfft...as if I wanted a ticket from you. I'll get off this damn island myself. You'll see." she replied firmly, glaring at the man. The monitor quickly shut off, leaving the 5 standing in silence.

"Lets just go, it's only been an hour since I awoke and I already feel like I've been up for days," Miyaki said softly. Daisuke nodded, taking the lead of his group.

**_xxx(End of Prologue 6)xxx_**

_**Surviving Subjects 24**_

**_AN: Listen, I said this was the last one, shit happens. This was far too long and I'm not done yet dammit. Don't hate me lol, besides after this post I'm sure you'll be enjoying yourselves._**

**_Also, apologies for the racist comment in this chapter, Ashton is an asshole character so I decided to write the part. I'll strive to keep those comments out of my writing._**

_**See ya soon~**_


	8. P7: Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Welcome to the Island of Nightmares

_The Final Finale, I'm serious you guys_

**Location: Unknown**

**Time: Unknown  
**

**Date: August 1****st ****2020**

"The pieces have been set. It seems like we are in for quite the interesting game." Jibo said, spinning slowly in his chair. Syd nodded silently, placing a steaming mug of coffee on the table, before his mentor.

"Master, I must ask...what is the purpose of this again? I know you wanted to test them but... well forgive me for saying this. But what just happened, it wasn't exactly a test."

"Yes, there was a reason for that. You could say it was a warm up for what is to come. A survival test of sorts. I've already designated a few of them against some of the other failed experiments on the island. The true research tests will be conducted by someone else. Someone who is rather fit for the job," the man said, gesturing to the other side of the room.

A beautiful woman was sitting at a nearby table, nursing her own cup of tea. She was reading a book, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, and seemed rather entranced by the words. She had a svelte body type, her tight outfit seemed to accent her every curve. She had glowing ivory skin, and bright jade eyes, hidden behind a pair of thin glasses. Her outfit consisted of a silver colored turtle neck sweater, and a black pencil skirt, with a white lab coat over it. Her long grayish silver hair was smooth and free flowing, falling down her shoulders. Syd looked the woman up and down for a moment, quirking a brow as he turned to his master.

"I don't believe we've ever met."

"That's because you haven't. This is Saino Terazawa, the one who will be handling our monstrous subjects. You could say, without her, some of the subjects we have on hand wouldn't exist," Jibo said.

"I see...how come you hadn't introduced us beforehand?"

"That is because I've been rather busy, you see, Doctor Momota has made a rather specific request of me. I agreed to assist him on this island, if only to further my own research. It was with my knowledge that he was able to perfect certain formulas. Yet there are ones that are rather hard to nail down," the woman, Saino, said as she flipped a page in her book.

"Certain formulas? Am I to assume you created Reukra Orion's 'Duplication Serum'?"

"That is indeed correct, his formula was ready for the testing phase. As was many of the ones on this island. You could say, without me, this game wouldn't get off the ground," she said, taking a sip of her tea. "I understand that Doctor Momota is your master. Do not misunderstand, I am here for research purposes only. I do not wish to steal the spotlight from you,"

"Then I'd like to welcome you to the fold, Miss Terawaza." Syd said, almost sarcastically as he bowed for the woman. She said nothing as she continued reading her book. A series of knocks filled the room, causing the Ultimate Surgeon to turn around. He headed toward the door, and opened it.

"Ah, is something the matter Sebastian?"

"Nothing is wrong sir, however it seems one of your acquaintances is here to see you, Doctor Momota," the butler said, allowing the figure to walk into the room. Jibo smiled, rising to his feet.

"Welcome back, how was it in there?"

"It was awful. But those idiots aren't gonna suspect a thing. Hell, even she is clueless to it all. I'd say those flashlights of yours are quite useful. It's too bad we only had a select few on hand," the figure said, as they moved toward the room.

"Will you be requiring anything else?" Sebastian asked. Jibo shook his head, causing the man to turn around.

"I'll let you know if we need your services Sebastian. Ah before you go, remember, if you don't want your beloved niece to meet a grisly fate in the amusement park, you'll do as you are told. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir, please excuse me." Sebastian said, as he closed the door. Syd sighed, shaking his head as he turned to face his master.

"I honestly don't understand why you are threatening him. Is the girl really that special?"

"Not really. I could care less if his niece dies or not, if she does then she's one more subject for me to dissect. Regardless we must turn our attention to you. Is the plan set?"

"Mhmm...everything is all set. Subject A112 is unaware of what is currently going on. As of now, she believes to be the person you beamed into her head." the figure replied.

"I see...what of your molecular structure? Do you need another dose of Amphrosillian?" Jibo said, causing the figure to shake its head.

"No...I am all set for now. Before I take my leave however, I must ask...and, forgive me if I seem rude but, what is the purpose of A113?"

"I must admit, I am quite curious as to why you chose her out of everyone," Saino said.

"Well, the Lunar Base didn't exactly leave me with many options. The bodies recovered by the survivors of the Tranquility killing game were in a poor state. The swine released by Dylan nearly devoured them all after all," the man said. He took a deep breath, bursting into a coughing fit. Syd was instantly at his side, a hand on his back.

"You should sit master, you should be resting." he said. Jibo wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, not bothered by the fact it was now soaked with blood.

"No, even if this sickness is slowly killing me, I wish to stand on my own two feet." he said. The man turned to his guest, a small gleam in hs eye. "As to your question, you could say A113 was the perfect specimen. Her body was left mostly intact after the feast. All she needed was a bionic replacement, and a few other things. I dare say, she is one of my greatest creations yet!"

"What of Jizoku? Wasn't he supposed to be the paragon you were striving for?" Saino asked firmly. Jibo let out a chuckle, turning to face the woman.

"He is! And it is thanks to his cells that this has been possible! Cellular regeneration was quite hard to achieve. I must admit, he continues to amaze me, even in his current state."

"So, A113 is more of a passion project?" the figure asked. Jibo nodded, glancing towards a framed picture. It was of himself, along with the deceased Ultimate Traditional Dancer, who had a grin on her face. The two were standing before a rocket, the words "Horizon Colony" printed in bold black letters.

"You could say, it was someone's last wish. Perhaps in her despair, she finally saw a glimmer of hope. It matters not to me. What matters is, are you ready for phrase 2?"

"I was born ready, Doctor Momota. Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it!" the figure said happily. Saino snapped her book shut, forcing herself to stand.

"Well gentlemen, if you do not require my assistance, I shall be retiring for the night. I've got my own plans for our subjects. I wish to ensure the survival of my monsters. I only agreed to this to see their full potential, I do not care for the trivialities of Hope and Despair."

"And that is why I have asked for your assistance, Miss Terazawa. I feel, that the two of us will create something wonderful here. You are dismissed, I do hope you have a good night. Mine is just about to start," Jibo said, a giddy smile tearing across his face.

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #1 (Cafeteria)**

**Time: 12:00AM**

**Date: August 2****nd ****2020**

An hour had passed, and finally all 24 subjects had convened in the cafeteria. Daisuke had to admit, he wasn't expecting to see so many different kinds of people in one room. He felt sorry for them, especially those that were no longer human. He had remained silent after returning to the cafeteria, pondering his next move. Haruna had been taking care of requests, offering everyone water and whatever food she had managed to find. Isabella had been rather annoyed, but after awhile she had warmed up to everyone slightly. Nyx had also woken up, and after checking on her, she reassured that she was completely fine. That however didn't completely ease his mind.

Charlotte had been sitting beside him, with a towel wrapped around her lower body. When he had returned, he had seen her tail for the first time. Apparently, she had gotten wet and transformed for the first time. She had been rather annoyed at the fact she was now immobile, and had also been in pain as her legs slowly reformed. He had to admit, seeing a real life mermaid was a lot better than writing about one. Despite her pain, Charlotte had been joking the entire time, calling herself a toad due to her slimy she was. He was glad to know she at least still had a sense of humor.

"So, what're you drawing?" the woman in question asked, grabbing Mackenzie's attention. She turned the tome over to her, showing her the nearly finished sketch of Kanemoto and Ninetales.

"I've been working super hard on this. I wasn't sure of my skills, but I have to admit, drawing is really fun. If I had my water colors, I'm sure it would look better."

"It looks perfectly fine now Kenzie. Don't underestimate your talent, you could be like one of these monster hacks over there," Shiro said, jerking her thumb behind her shoulder, just as Riku was walking by. Daisuke cleared his throat, giving the boy a wave, earning a smile from him.

"Shiro, maybe you shouldn't say stuff like that out loud. It isn't like they can help it. All of them were tricked by Momota after all," he said.

"Hey guys, how are ya holding up?" Miyaki asked, holding out several bottles of water. Daisuke gratefully took one, passing the others to Shiro and Mackenzie.

"We're doing alright. Charlotte's legs are back, everyone is gathered here, and we all seem safe."

"Wonder how long that will last," the siren grumbled, pouring some water into her gills. She sighed with relief, drinking the rest. "Still, it's better than being dead. Makes me wonder if 24 of us truly did exist in this place,"

"I don't think so, you said two others were with Felicks right?" the blonde performer asked, earning a nod from the siren. "Then it's certain there are others. They're all probably dead,"

"Which means we are the lucky few. The ones that didn't expire during this shit show of a game," the executioner said.

"And you are just loving every moment of it. Aren't you?" Lars asked, causing Shiro to turn around. Everyone looked at the Demonologist.

"What are you insinuating?"

"Well I mean, you are the Ultimate _Executioner _aren't you? That means you probably designed the death traps in this place. The saws that almost killed Groot, the room that almost killed the sparkling fairy,"

"Hey don't call me that!" Felicks cried, being ignored by the man.

"Everything in this Foundation Site, is designed to kill us. So that means it was you who designed it. Who's to say you aren't in cahoots with the big man himself?" the man asked, earning a glare from the gyaru.

"Who's to say _you _aren't in bed with Jibo? I mean you didn't even bother getting out of the staff room. You could have helped me break out of there, but you didn't. You sat on your fat ass reading that stupid book!" Mariana cried out.

"Ah yes, I didn't want to exert myself and waste my time opening a vibranium door. That makes me a bad guy, but the Executioner who could have and very will did design our death traps, is perfectly innocent. That makes _sooo_much sense," he said sarcastically.

"Perhaps we shouldn't jump to conclusions. Bertrand Russell once said, the only thing that can redeem mankind, is cooperation. I believe we should heed those very words, right now," Dalila said.

"Like hell, mankind is a cesspool of disgust. There is nothing worth redeeming from this worthless species. If you all wish to work together, then do so, but when you are moments away from death, do not come crawling to me."

"Same goes to you friend. If someone is trying to murder you and you see me walking down the hall, I'd prefer it if you run the other way," Ashton spat back, earning a scoff from Lars who flipped him the bird.

"Well we're getting along swimmingly," Charlotte said aloud, earning a giggle from Miyaki. "Seriously, we're all trapped on this island together. It sucks ass but guess what, so does being out there, with who knows what on the prowl. I think we can all survive together for one night. Not like we can leave this place anyway,"

"She's right. Jibo said we wouldn't be able to leave until we either passed his test or killed two people. I'm willing to bet we met one of those requirements. We just need to wait until then storm is over and pack our bags." Daisuke said.

"And then what...what will we do Daisuke?" Seisha asked, a sad look on his face. Diego placed a hand on the samebito's arm, giving him a confident smile.

"We'll get out of here, just because we're on an island doesn't mean we can't get off. There must be a way out of here."

"I got an idea, why don't we build a plane and fly outta here?" Lars said sarcastically. Nyx glared at him, focusing her pink eyes on the boy.

"You should stay quiet. If you aren't going to contribute to the conversation then you shouldn't speak!"

"Hey listen, honey, I don't know where you get mouthing off to me, but I would keep my mouth shut. Unless you want some abomination eating you from the inside out," he replied.

"Ugh...you are all idiots. Sheesh, I'm on a mission of great importance! I'm supposed to be finding Bethany Yonaga and Haruna Shirai, and you guys aren't helping me!" Miya cried out in anger.

"We're standing right here," the voice of the Ultimate Pele said, causing the Investigator to glance at her. She hummed to herself, flipping through her pages.

"Nah, you can't be her. Your funbags are too big," she said, earning a wide eyed look from Bethany. "Haruna is supposed to have pink hair, not coral pink hair, so clearly this isn't her, I'll keep looking somewhere else."

"Is she serious?" Haruna asked, earning a shrug from Bethany.

"I dunno, but I'm close to melting her face off."

"Okay listen...all of us are tired, annoyed and angry at Momota, right?" Eris said, grabbing they're attention. Most gave vocal replies, while others were content with nodding. "Alright, then why don't we all band together? He gave us our talents sure, but we're no longer that human. We have powers, unlike those of normal people. I say, we put our heads together and figure out a way to kill Jibo Momota! With him gone we'll be able to get off this island,"

"If only it were that easy," Daisuke said, voicing his opinion. Eris looked at him, her snakes hissing softly.

"Isn't it?"

"No...Momota is a genius. You can't question his mind, because he will be one step ahead of us. Do you not think he has a contingency plan? For if we escape? He warned us of what lies outside of this island, and I don't think we should take a risk," he said, standing up from his bench.

"You are just saying that because you are scared!" Kate said firmly. The storyteller took a few steps toward her, looking up at her.

"Scared? No, I'm not scared at all. I've seen shit far scarier than whatever lies on this island. Escaping will be impossible, and if we try, we're just gonna waste our time." he paused, his face getting rather close to hers. "If I we're a betting man, I'd put us on the losing side,"

"So that's it then? We just sit here and give up?!" a voice cried out, causing Daisuke to look around the room. It had come from Reukra, or rather another head that had grown from his shoulder. The boy had been quiet for most of the night, this however seemed to scare him.

"I'm sorry, I'm still trying to control my new powers!" he said. He closed his eyes, a look of concentration on his face, as he willed the duplicate away. Isabella chuckled, downing the last of her water.

"We're all fucked. We're nothing more than Momota's fucking guinea pigs. I think I'm going to agree with Daisuke on this one,"

"You guys are so pessimistic! Are you seriously gonna give up?" Eris cried out, glancing at the two.

"Sorry Eris, but we really don't have any options. We're kind of screwed no matter what we try," Riku added, looking down in disappointment.

"Well...there is one option still on the table," Lars said, glowering as he slid the ticket forward. "The man said that 5 of these will get us off island. Why not do as he asks?"

"You mean kill someone?" Mackenzie cried out, a look of fear on her face.

"Well, I wasn't suggesting that, but I'm sure if you kill someone you'd get a ticket. Hell, kill the tall tree or the fucking shark and you might get two."

"Maybe I'll get three if I snap your scrawny little neck," Ashton said.

"And we're back at square one. Arguing like little putas. We aren't gonna get anywhere unless we make a plan," Jose said firmly. He shied back slightly when he felt everyone looking at him. "Don't look at me!"

"Can we just sleep on it? It's already late and I'm tired. After the bone crushing transformation I went through, I'd like nothing more than peace and goddamn quiet." Charlotte said, holding back a yawn.

"What are our sleeping arrangements then? Huddle in the middle for warmth? It's cold as shit and some of us are soaking wet!" Shiro cried out.

"We can sleep co-ed, I'll keep the ladies warm," Riku said jokingly. Shiro wrapped her arms around the neko, hugging him tightly.

"Ooo, I want Rika Nyan Nyan to keep me warm. I promise to keep him nice and warm too." she said, scratching his chin. "Maybe if it gets too hot, I can take my clothes off," she cooed softly. The boy's tail straightened up, a soft purr escaping his lips. Charlotte grabbed a hold of one of his ears, giving it a twist.

"Down boy, you are a cat not a fucking dog. I'm not letting you deflower sweet little Shiro, you damn tomcat."

"Ow! Alright, okay, let go of my ear!" the boy cried, pawing at Charlotte's hand, trying and failing to get her to let go.

"Um...if I may," Nyx said, raising her hand to get everyone's attention. "When me, Bella and Riku first got here, we came in through a staff common room. It seemed as if there were some sleeping quarters. 5 people to a room. We can all stay there for the night. Four groups of 5 and one of 4." she said.

"I guess that works. Alright, I guess we can split up then. Men and women in different quarters?" Daisuke asked. Lars stood up from his seat, snapping his book closed.

"I shall be heading to my own quarters,_alone._Feel free to split up among yourselves, if you all die then that's not my issue. Ciao," he said, hastily leaving the room.

"Dick, I hope he dies first" the treant said, earning a chuckle from Diego.

"If sleeping quarters are the issue, then I shall split you up." Haruna said, her voice cutting through the silence. "Group 1 shall consist of Diego, Seisha, Dalila, Miya and Nyx. Group 2 shall consist of Jose, Ashton, Felicks, Eris and Mariana. Group 3 shall consist of Charlotte, Shiro, Miyaki, Mackenzie and Daisuke. Group 4 shall consist of myself, Kanemoto, Ibb, Bethany and Reukra. The final group shall consist of Kate, Isabella and finally Riku. Lars will be on his own. Does anyone have anything to say?"

"Yes I do. How come Daisuke gets to stay in a room with four girls?" Riku asked.

"Because he isn't a tomcat like you, now move your ass Riku. I wanna fucking sleep," Isabella snapped, urging the man forward.

"I'll lead you to the other rooms guys. Follow me." Nyx said, cheerfully waving the others. Daisuke slung his messenger bag over his shoulder, placing his pens and pencils inside.

"Um...here you go Daisuke, thanks for letting me borrow it," Mackenzie said, holding his leather-bound book to him. He smiled, ruffling her hair.  
"Keep it, for now at least. We're going to the same place anyway," he said.

"Oh my, Daisuke is such a sleeze bag~. He gets four hotties all to himself, while Lars has to jack off into his book tonight,"

"Shiro, you'll end up sleeping in here if you keep it up," Charlotte said, causing the executioner to grin. Daisuke rolled his eyes.

"Haruna, are you sure about these arrangements?" the boy said, as he briefly passed the Hostess. Haruna gave him a playful smirk.

"Oh you, you can't tell me you aren't happy with this. Many guys would kill to be in your spot. Take care of them alright? I'm sure a big strong man like you can defend all four of them," she said, giving him a wink.

"Huh...wait did you put them in my room just because I had a gun?"

"Perhaps."

"Haruna, come on, be straight with me,"

"I am. I must gather some things for my roommates. I'll see you in the morning, Mr. Del Rio. Do try to sleep tonight, I'm sure you can hold your carnal urges back until we're in a safe place," she teased, earning a groan from the boy.

"I hope SCP 871 haunts your dreams."

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #1 (Common Area: Room 2)**

**Time: 1:34AM**

**Date: August 2****nd ****2020**

"Fuck these goddamn bunks, how the fuck is someone supposed to sleep here? Fucking shit," Ashton grumbled, as he tried and failed to get comfortable in his bunk. Due to his height, he wasn't able to fully fit within the small bunk. He had been struggling to get comfortable since arriving in the room.

"How the hell do you think I feel big guy? I got these damn things on my back," Mariana said, pointing to her wings. She was sitting on the top bunk, her legs dangling over the edge. Her wings were folded, but even then, it took up quite a lot of room. "I doubt I'll be getting a good night sleep,"

"Well...at least you have someone who knows your pain, hehe," Felicks said, wiggling his wings a bit. The soft ethereal glow that filled the room acted like a nightlight. They only had one lantern illuminating it, leaving most of the room in the darkness.

"Hey buddy, if I rub your leg, will you grant me a wish?" Ashton asked, earning a glare from the fairy.

"Dude, first off, he's a fairy, the most he can do is make you float with pixie dust. Second, you are thinking of a genie. Third, you're fuckin stupid," the manakete replied, earning a grumble from the treant.

"Stupid dragon bitch," he mumbled.

"Eris, you've been rather silent...is everything alright?" Jose said, looking at the gorgon from his corner. Since the rooms were split into 4 bunks, the Demon have volunteered to remain on the floor. It was a dark corner, where he was barely visible, he didn't like getting attention from people.

"I've been...considering my options,"

"What options?" Mariana asked, glancing down at the gorgon. She noticed the silver ticket in her grasp. She had been flipping it absentmindedly for the last few minutes, briefly reading the print on the back. "You aren't ...seriously considering the tickets are you?"

"I voluntarily joined the AUP so that I could have the power to do what was right. I wasn't expecting to be turned into this." she said, gesturing to her snakes. They hissed loudly, one of them attempting to bite her hand. "I have to get back to my little sisters. They're the only thing I have left on this world. I have to get off this island,"

"At the cost of someone else's life? You just gonna go around zapping people to stone?" Ashton asked, sitting up in his bunk. Felicks shuddered a bit as it creaked. He briefly wondered why he let the treant take the top bunk.

"I don't plan on killing anyone. I'll just...have to take those damn research tests. So long as they give me a ticket, I don't care. I will not use my powers to kill people, I can promise you that," she said firmly. Mariana sighed, glancing at the far wall.

"Lucky, you at least have someone to go back home too, I don't exactly have pleasant company back in Columbia." she clutched her dragon stone tightly. "Maybe it's for the best, if I die here, no one will miss me,"

"Hey! Don't say something like that! You gotta stay positive okay?" Felicks said. Jose let out a dark laugh, leaning back against the concrete wall.

"Positive? Yeah, the only thing I'm positive of is the fact that all of us are freaks. Look at us, you are a fairy, Eris can turn shit to stone. Ashton is a tree, Anna is a fucking dragon, and me..." he stopped, looking at his charcoal colored arms, gritting his teeth at the scars on his skin. "I'm the devil incarnate,"

"You are not!" Eris hissed, forcing herself to stand up, her sheets falling to the floor around her. "You are not the devil incarnate. You are just a victim of this sick game. Just like the rest of us," she said, gesturing to the others.

"I would certainly say so," the manakete said, uttering a yawn. She stretched her arms, unconsciously furrowing her wings.

"Hell, if I knew getting stabbed would get me here, I would have died in the streets of San Francisco." Ashton added with a sigh. "Can't say this doesn't piss me off. I can't feel nothing, just the blood pumping through my fucking veins. Hell, whenever I scratch my arm all I get are splinters."

"Well, being a tree is better than being dead, you know," Felicks said.

"Maybe we should get to sleep. Worrying about this will just keep eating at us," Mariana said, trying her best to lie down in her bed. Felicks reached toward the lantern, swiftly turning it off. The only light in the room came from his own wings, which became shielded once he laid down.

"If anyone sees a mouse, let me know okay? These guys gotta eat."

"Ew, goddammit Eris!"

"What? I'd rather they eat the mice than eat me!"

_**xxx**_

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: (Common Room: 1)**

**Time: 1:35AM**

**Date: August 2****nd ****2020**

"Hey kid, could you not bounce on the bed so much? I'm trying to actually sleep," Diego said, turning to face Miya who was bouncing a bit in her bunk, rattling the entire thing.

"Excuse me for trying to get comfortable! Sheesh, I'd rather sleep on cinder blocks at this rate!" the girl cried, groaning a bit in pain. Finally becoming comfortable, she grabbed her DS and continued playing her game. "I swear, I'm gonna find a Shiny Buneary at some point!"

"Miya dear, it's late. Shouldn't you get some sleep?" Dalila asked, peeking at the girl from her bunk.

"Yeah, after I get this Buneary!"

"Um...Seisha, wouldn't you feel better sleeping on the ground? I mean...you are kind of big," Nyx said nervously, earning a small grin from the Samebito.

"I'm perfectly fine Princess. I'll take care of you!"

"I don't need to be taken care of, and I'm not a princess," the halfling said, trying to shy away from the humanoid shark. He wrapped his arm around her, stopping her from moving.

"You are a princess! When Diego, Miyaki and I found you, you were unconscious. Mr. Daisuke let me carry you to the cafeteria!"

"O-oh?"

"It was a sight to behold," Diego mused, holding back his laughter.

"W-well, I suppose I don't mind if you call me a princess." she said, scratching her cheek. "But uh ...do you think I could sleep by myself?" she asked, pulling the sheets closer to herself. The samebito shrugged, jumping from the bunk to the floor. He settled down between the two sets of bunks. Dalila handed him a spare blanket, a small smile on her face.

"Here, I don't want you to get cold tonight,"

"Thank you Miss Dalila! Would you mind taking care of Mr. Bitey for me tonight? I don't want to lose him," he said, reaching into his pocket for his shark plush.

"Aw, he's so adorable! You know, I have something just like him!" she replied, reaching into her small knapsack for a stuffed animal. It was a small, worn looking meerkat. "This is Salimba, he was a gift from my mother when I was younger,"

"Awesome! Mr. Bitey has a new friend!"

"Well ...at least he's distracted," Nyx said, earning a shrug from Diego, who lay back down in his bunk. He reached around for a moment, feeling the cool metal of his pump-action shotgun. He sighed, forcing his eyes closed.

"This is some grim shit we've gotten ourselves into,"

"Mhmm ...so Diego, you gonna tell us what your new talent is?"

"Sorry Miya, I would if I knew. Sadly, the old man didn't tell me what my talent was. It isn't exactly obvious either," he said. The boy shifted his gaze toward the girl, who was still focused on her game. "What about you kiddo? Were you an ultimate before or after getting here?"

"Before, got that stupid letter of acceptance and everything. Some academy in America. I didn't need an official title to know that I'm good at what I do. I'm one of the youngest Investigators in the world after all, save for Saiko Kobayashi. Now there's someone I strive to be like,"

"Kobayashi? I think I heard that name before. She made headlines in England a few years back. Something about solving a cold case for Scotland Yard,"

"Mhmm ...she's so totally cool! She's my inspiration! I met her once you know, I was playing Pokemon Soul Silver and she traded me a Skitty!" she said excitedly, turning the screen to the boy which showed the aforementioned pokemon. "It's so cuuuuteee!"

"Pfft...too bad Skitty sucks ass as a Pokemon," Nyx said. Miya let out a scream, causing Seisha and Dalila to scream as well. The two calmed down, turning to face the now angry looking girl.

"How. Dare. You?"

"I'm sorry?" the halfling said, tilting her head in confusion. The Investigator snapped her DS closed as she forced herself to stand up, glaring at the older woman.

"HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT SKITTY?"

"Oh, Christ...it's 1 in the morning, can you not fucking yell?" Diego said, tugging on his ear a bit.

"No! Not until she apologizes for calling Skitty crap!"

"Alright fine, I'm sorry that Skitty is crap," Nyx said. Another screech left the young girl. "In my defense, the stats speak for themselves."

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you put your money where your mouth is sister? I challenge you to a Skitty run on Pokemon Emerald, then tell me if it's a good Pokemon or not!"

"Why would I do that? I think we have more pressing matters at hand. I'm not gonna worry about a bunch of pixels on screen." the halfling said. Miya rose a single hand, pointing her forefinger at her.

"You will regret messing with me," she said, slowly disappearing into her bed sheets. She rolled around, until she looked like a burrito.

"We're in for an interesting time on this hell hole aren't we?" Diego asked.

"Mhmm ...that we are,"

"Mr. Bitey thinks so too!" Seisha said, happily holding up his plushie, while Dalila held Salimba in her hands.

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: (Common Area: Room 4)**

**Time: 1:34AM**

**Date: August 2****nd**** 2020**

"Is everything to your liking? I could run back to the kitchen for more water if you'd like. We don't have a lot, but it's better than going to bed on an empty stomach,"

"Haruna, I'm perfectly fine. I'm just tired, that research test or whatever took a lot out of me," Reukra said, politely declining her offer.

The pinkette sighed, turning away from him. Bethany and Ibb had already fallen asleep, though the former was in a rather precarious pose. After a long time praying, she had stripped down to her panties and gone to sleep, not bothering to cover herself up. Thankfully, she was on the top bunk, away from Reukra's gaze. But she still regret not making her group solely female.

"I apologize...my years as a hostess have turned me into a den mother. I've had to resort to being a maid from time to time. I suppose it comes with the territory," she replied, adopting a sad smile.

"Maybe you should sit down then Haru, you've probably been on your feet all day." Reukra said, standing from his bed. He helped her sit down on her own, much to her dismay. "What would you like? I could get you some tea if you'd like,"

"No please, don't trouble yourself for my sake. I'm perfectly fine. Besides, after all the cake I ate, I doubt I could eat another morsel," she said, tugging on her collar. Reukra sighed, but relented for a moment.

"At least take your heels off, your feet must be killing you," the boy said, causing her to sigh. She grabbed a hold of the ankle straps, slowly pulling on them until they came lose.

"There you go! You're on your way to being relaxed!"

"As if, I doubt I can relax in a place like this. With so much darkness lingering around, I don't think I could get a decent night's sleep," the hostess said, leaning back slightly.

"I know what you mean, but if these two can sleep then so can we." the boy said cheerfully. His gaze shifted to the far wall, as he gathered his thoughts. "Hey, Haruna? That Miya girl said she was looking for you right? Does that mean someone reported you missing?"

"I suppose so. I had co-workers on the Majestic Princess, I'm sure they reported me missing. It's weird though, I haven't recovered my memories of that night. I spoke briefly with Miya on our way to the common rooms. She said that I jumped on a lifeboat just as the ship went under,"

"Then that means the survivors know you are lost. Which means someone might be coming for us after all!" Reukra said happily. Haruna shook her head, tucking her legs underneath herself.

"Don't get your hopes up. Miya said this accident happened 5 weeks ago. That means I've been missing for that amount of time. I've probably been asleep or something. Just another pawn in the grand scheme of this game,"

"We can't give up hope Haruna! I know things seem bleak but, it could be worse. We'll get out of this island, I just know it!" he said, giving her a grin. Haruna remained silent, not exactly knowing how to reply. She looked away briefly, finding the wall more interesting.

"Maybe I should check on the others. I've got this sick feeling in my stomach, like something bad is gonna happen," she said, rising to her feet. Reukra grabbed a hold of her hand, pulling her to a stop.

"Nope, I'm not letting you leave. You need to sleep Haruna, don't make me force you!"

"R-Reukra! Why do you care so much about my wellbeing? We just met after all. You do know I could stab your back at any point right?" she questioned, making the boy frown. He looked down, a sad smile on his face.

"You remind me a lot of my mom. She used to be really nice, and took good care of me. I can sense that in you, that kind and caring nature that makes you want to take care of people,"

"Heh, you couldn't be more wrong about me Reukra. I'm not the person you think I am. I may be the Ultimate Hostess, but I have my flaws. I'm sure you'll see them in due time," she said softly.

"We all have flaws Haru, we just have to accept them. Now it's getting late, you should get to sleep missy. We've got a big day ahead of us. I heard Beth earlier, she said she was gonna melt her way outta this place. Might as well get some sleep for our journey into this island,"

"I suppose...you are right Reukra. I'm probably worrying too much about this. Let us head to sleep. I truly wish I had a spare set of clothes, sleeping in my uniform is a tad uncomfortable." the hostess replied, earning a grin from the boy, who climbed into his own bed.

"You can take your clothes off if you want, I'll even look at the wall while you undress if you'd like?"

"Goodnight Reukra," Haruna hissed, blowing out the lantern.

_**xxx**_

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: (Common Area: Room 3)**

**Time: 8:55AM**

**Date: August 2****nd ****2020**

Sleep had eluded the boy for quite some time. He hadn't had a restful sleep since the beginning of the Tragedy. Far before that, in fact. But even then, he knew he would need his rest for what as to come. The Ultimate Storyteller often times spent his days working on his stories. But now that he had lost his passion for writing, he had stopped writing anything. Other than detailing the daily events that happened in the world. Like a scribe, he wanted to preserve what was happening, for the future generations. Even now, with only 4 hours of sleep, the young man continued jotting things down in his leather-bound book, keeping himself distracted.

"Daisuke? Did you...sleep at all?"

The boy looked up from his book, glancing to the bed across form him. The Ultimate Circus Performer was the first of his roommates to awaken. She stretched her arms above her head, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Morning Miyaki, how'd ya sleep?"

"As well as I could, I guess. But what about you? Did you sleep at all?"

"I slept a little, after what happened yesterday, I don't think I could have gotten any rest." he said.

His eyes looked her over, noticing all of the stitches on her body. She had taken off her jacket for the night, revealing a bit more of her leotard. Aside from the gash on her neck, which had been completely sealed, she had several stitches on her biceps, one set on her collar, and one set on her upper high. Miyaki noticed what he was looking at, and quickly covered up, reaching around for her jacket.

"Could you...not stare at them?"

"Sorry, it's just...you have so many stitches. I was sort of wondering where you got them all from,"

"Oh...the stitches...right. I thought you were looking somewhere else." she said, rubbing her neck. She grabbed the hair tie from her wrist and started gathering her lengthy blonde locks up. "I'm not exactly certain where I got them from. I didn't even know I had some on my arms or my collar,"

"Jibo probably did something to your body. You know, it's weird seeing you here. Especially after what happened on the moon," Daisuke said, eyes back on his tome. Miyaki subconsciously reached for her throat, swallowing the lump that had formed.

"Y-you saw it?"

"Mhmm... after Hope's Peak Academy fell, I traveled the world. I wanted to document what was happening. Hell, I almost took a bullet in Spain at one point. I'm sure someone was stalking me, probably some despair freak hired by Ultimate Despair," he replied, shuddering a bit. Miyaki slowly lowered herself to the floor, having put on her jacket.

"Did you write it down then?" she asked.

"Miyaki, I don't think reading something like that would do you well. I know it's only been a couple months since your death but. I would rather you didn't remember that," he said softly. She sighed, giving him a nod.

"You're right, the last thing I want are bad memories from that game. At least tell me Mallory survived...she was a really sweet girl I met up there,"

"Mallory didn't make it, I'm sorry." Daisuke said. The circus performer sighed, looking at the wall.

"What about Shuhei? And Giselly? We could see the Horizon Colony from the moon. It wasn't that far from us, in fact we saw the pieces of it. Tell me they got out of there safely."

"Shuhei made it out safely. He and a few others from the Horizon Killing game made it to the Lunar Base in fact. Giselly however was executed after having been pulling the strings for the mastermind. Not only that, she caused the deaths of a few students while she was in that killing game. I'm sorry Miyaki, truly I am,"

Miyaki remained silent at the news. She could feel her heart beating hard in her chest. She closed her eyes, thinking back on the final memories she had of her close friends. Her vision became cloudy, as tears started rolling down her cheeks. She sniffled, quickly drying her eyes.

"Thank you for telling me this Daisuke. I appreciate it, I died before even knowing their fates. I'm at least glad Shuhei made it out of that mess alive. Maybe if I make it out of here, I can meet up with him again,"

"Of course! I'll make sure you guys meet again, maybe I can find my little sister while I'm at it."

"Ugh, you guys it's early! Can't we keep on sleeping?" Shiro mumbled, as she sat up in her bed. Her hair was in all directions, her eyes barely open as she squinted at the two.

"I've been up since sunrise, I don't know why but I couldn't sleep after that," Charlotte said, looking down at the others. Mackenzie sat up beside the siren, brushing her blonde hair down with her hand. She gave a cute yawn, popping her back rather loudly.

"Good morning guys!"

"Morning Kenzie, did you sleep well?" Miyaki asked happily, earning a thumbs up from the tired painter.

"I slept well if anyone cares. This bed was too damn springy though, would it kill the SCP Foundation to make comfortable ass beds?" Shiro asked, looking rather annoyed. Daisuke shrugged his shoulders forcing himself to stand up.

"It's the SCP Foundation, you actually think they give a shit how their D class personnel sleep?" he replied. The executioner shook her head, swinging her legs over her bunk, clutching her pillow rather tightly as her legs swung back and forth.

"You make a good point there Dais. Anyway, maybe we should get some breakfast! A growing girl's gotta eat!"

"Right after I find the bathroom, I gotta take a leak. And I've got to get some water, I'm having a hard time breathing," Charlotte said, rapidly coming down the bunk's ladder. Mackenzie followed suit, slipping her shoes onto her feet.

"I guess we'll all head to the cafeteria, maybe the others are already up," Daisuke said, packing his things up. As they were about to leave, the monitor in the room turned on, a low hum filling the room. The group of 5 stopped, turning their attention to the screen.

"_Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to day 2 on our lovely Hora Island. The temperature is 75 degrees, with a light breeze. We also have cloudless skies free of any and all rain storms."_

"I don't really care for a weather report dammit, just get on with it," Daisuke hissed under his breath, ignoring Jibo's rant. After he had finished his 'announcement', the man continued.

"_I do hope you all had a wonderful night. I know the accommodations aren't 5 star but, it is far better than sleeping out in the cold. Though after today, I'm quite sure you will all enjoy some time in the wilderness. The great outdoors serve to cleanse a persons mind, body and soul,"_

"What does he mean, after today?" Charlotte asked, turning to face her friends.

"I dunno, but I don't have a good feeling about this," Miyaki replied, a feeling of dread filling the pit of her stomach.

"Let's just go, forget what this asshole has to say. It's probably some prerecorded crap. Besides, if we concern ourselves with him, then we'll just fall right into his trap." Daisuke said, reaching for his gun as he stepped out of the room. Even though he put up a brave front, he too felt sick to his stomach.

"Something wrong you guys?" Diego asked, as he joined Daisuke and the girls in the hallway. Seisha, Nyx and Riku joined them, all looking rather tired.

"I'm not sure, but I really didn't like Jibo's announcement."

"He was just going on and on about some biology bullshit, don't pay it much mind." the Latino boy replied, earning a sigh from the Spaniard.

"You're right, I guess after all of the hell we've all lived through, I'm just nervous."

"Can't say I blame ya Dais. Hard to sleep when you could have your brains splattered on the ground by someone else," Shiro added, focusing on tying her hair.

"Thanks Shiro, I didn't really want that visual in my mind this early in the morning," Charlotte said sarcastically, earning a toothy grin from the executioner.

"We'll be fine, right Daisuke?"

"That's right Mackenzie, if something comes at us like last time, I'll shoot it! I'll keep you safe, I promise." the storyteller said firmly.

"Good morning everyone, it's nice to see you are all well," Haruna greeted, as everyone made it to the cafeteria.

"Morning Haru, what's wrong? You left rather early, I would have thought you'd have made breakfast for us all."

"That was my intention Reukra, but the cafeteria doors have been locked all morning. I've tried repeatedly to open them, but all of my attempts were met with failure." she swiftly replied, eyes turning to the doors. "I have a bad feeling in my stomach, it hasn't left me all morning,"

"I'll open the doors! We'll be eating waffles soon enough!" Seisha said happily, as he grabbed a hold of the door handle.

"Do try to be careful, last thing we want is to bust down this entire door," Ibb said, though this fell on death ears as the samebito pulled the doors off their hinges. He tossed them aside, almost hitting Lars with one.

"Jesus fuck, are you fuckin blind? Or is it that since you are a shark you can only see under water, you thick fuck?"

"Hey, don't swear at him. You should have moved out of the way if you didn't want to be hit!" Dalila cried, quickly defending the samebito.

"Uh...guys, I hate to worry you but...it smells like blood," Riku said, his nose scrounging up a bit as he took a whiff of the air. Charlotte did the same, along with Mariana and Ashton.

"Ugh...it smells rank, like someone took a bloody shit and smeared it all over the walls,"

"It smells like Chipotle to me, or Pollo Tropical. God I hate Florida," Miya mumbled, as she tried peeking into the room. She caught sight of something, causing her to back away, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh god, that's gross!"

Daisuke tightened his grip on his gun, deciding to be the first one to go into the room. Diego stood beside him, cocking his shotgun, readying it in case he had to use it. With a nod, the two men stepped into the room, gasping at the sight before them. Various screams, of shock and horror filled the cafeteria as they all looked at the scene before them.

The unmoving body of Isabella Swan could be seen, nailed to one of the posts in the room. Her hands had been nailed to the post above her head, with a single metallic stake. There was a look of pain on her face, her eyes being wide open and soaked in tears. Her clothes had been ripped and soaked in pink. Her chest cavity had been sliced open, her entrails having spilled onto the floor, along with the rest of her organs. Her intestines seemed to be wrapped around her neck, as if they had been used to strangle her, a futile effort due to the state of the body. Her thighs had been slashed open, a single knife still stabbed into her flesh. Slow, thick drips of blood fell onto the gathered puddle, sounding almost like a dripping faucet. It was clear to everyone present that the Ultimate Shapeshifter was very dead.

"Holy Shrimp!" Charlotte shouted at the top of her lungs.

"I'm gonna be sick,"

"This isn't happening, this can't be happening!"

"Everyone calm the fuck down!" Daisuke shouted, turning to face the others. Just as he did, the monitor above Isabella's body roared to life, showing the sneering face of Jibo Momota. The single camera in the room moved to face them.

"_Well, what a lovely surprise. I wasn't expecting you all to strike this early. But color me impressed. I guess the temptation of earning your tickets was greater than the life of Miss Swan. What a terrible shame,"_

"You...how can you relish in this? Someone fucking died!" Kanemoto shouted, her face bearing a look of anger.

"Yeah! It should be you on that stake and not Bella! She didn't do anything to deserve such cruelty!" Riku mirrored, throwing his two cents at the screen. Jibo let out a small laugh, leaning forward in his seat.

"_Sadly, I do not agree. See, while it's true that she didn't do anything wrong, she did do something. She failed to survive. Those that cannot defend themselves, do not deserve to live. This is the circle of life, the weak die, the strong survive. It is the very foundation for the Tragedy that overtook our planet. Will the strong survive this time? Or will the weak band together to take down the strong? I wonder,"_

"Am I to assume we're in investigation mode? That this murder will end in a class trial?" Daisuke asked, earning a nod from the man.

"_You are indeed correct. Among the remaining 23 subjects is the blackened. You're job, is to secure evidence in their favor. Find enough of it, and you can condemn them to an execution when the time comes. If you do not find the blackened, then I'm afraid you will forfeit your lives, and that subject will walk free," _Jibo said firmly.

"And if we refuse to obey your rules?" Haruna asked.

"_Then I'm afraid you'll have to forfeit your life Miss Shirai. Kind of ironic, originally, you weren't even going to be on this island. It just so happened that fate and luck steered your ship toward a dangerous course. Now it's time for you to take the helm and command your own ship. Do you sail out of this island with your lives, or do you strike and iceberg and sink on your maiden voyage? You have until 1PM today. You will meet in the parking lot out front, where you will be taken to the Class Trial Court Room." _Jibo said, pausing to take a drink of his tea. _"__Do not disappoint me, I have full confidence that you all will achieve greatness. Let the first investigation of our killing game, begin!"_

**_xxx(Welcome to the Island of Nightmares: End)xxx_**

_**Surviving Test Subjects: 23**_

**_AN: Fucking Finally! I finally finished this prologue you guys! It's been a long time coming but man has it been a long one. It reminds me so much of Morning Hope Academy, I'm laughing on the inside...because I can't laugh on the outside, not anymore._**

**_I would like to thank ShinyOshwot for submitting Isabella Swan...trust me dude, this is part of the plan (; Don't be too mad at me, I had to pick someone, and for this story to move forward, I had to pick Bella. However, just because she's dead doesn't mean she's gone._**

**_I would also like to give a shoutout to Psychochiken! Creator of Miyaki Hanao and Sabishi, two of my favorite girls from LoD. Yesterday was their birthday, and I wanted to dedicate this chapter to them. But since it was too long, I posted the first part and then the second one. This one has the extended notes. I hope you had an excellent day. And trust me, I will definitely miss Sabishi! Friendly reminder to check out Creatures of Despair, where Sabishi will remain alive, and will be the last place for you to see more of her. Show WinterSmith some love will ya? This Trilogy takes a lot out of all of us haha._**

**_I would also like to shoutout Bellatrixshine, who submitted Felicks to this story. Again, I was gonna do this last chapter but it was too long. Thanks again for submitting him Bella, I look forward to writing more of him. And if you haven't already, check out Bella's story, Beast's Maze. Her submissions are still open, so if you haven't already, do send her an OC if you can. Show her some love, kay?_**

**_Final shoutout goes to Runicwolf, who submitted Ibb Roos last chapter as well. She's one of the more interesting OC's I've gotten, especially since it gave me the chance to create an SCP at least in this instance. I look forward to telling her story in the coming chapters. So I hope you look forward to it too._**

_**And now, I leave. I don't know when Chapter 1 will officially start. But man, I think this is the DR story I've written that will start chapter 1 with an investigation. It's gonna be a nice change of pace for me. I'll be sure to deliver pain, despair, sex, despair, lemons and most of all sex! I mean despair...yeah, definitely that last one. In all seriousness, I'm just glad to take a bit of a break, at least until the beginning of June so I can plan out and start the next Phase of this story. Until then, CelestialSkyDragon out! Or should I start calling myself Maribelle from now on? Hmm...**_


	9. C1 Act 1: We Lucky Few

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 1 Act 1

We lucky few

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: (Cafeteria)**

**Time: 9:00AM**

**Date: August 2****nd ****2020**

**_xxx(Investigation Start)xxx_**

A few minutes had passed since the grisly discovery of Isabella Swan's body. It had been a shocking sight to see, and many of the subjects were sick to their stomach. While others were just saddened at the loss of someone they had previously known. Daisuke had lead everyone back into the hallway, with Haruna guarding the door so that no one went back in. He ran his fingers through his hair, brushing it out of his face. His blood was pumping hard through his veins, and he could almost feel the adrenaline coursing through him. He felt dizzy, and his lack of sleep wasn't helping him either.

"So fearless leader, what should we do first?" Ashton asked, causing the storyteller to look up. He glared daggers at the man, the expression on his face didn't even bother him. "What the hell is eating you man?"

"Don't call me a leader, I am not in charge here,"

"I see ...no wait, I get it! You considered yourself a leader before, but now that someone bit the dust, you feel bad about it. Is that right?"

"Ashton please, can't you have some respect for the dead?" Dalila asked softly. Lars gave a low chuckle, causing everyone to look in his direction. The Demonologist was leaning back against the wall, a smug look on his face as he looked at the others.

"I cannot believe you guys are throwing a hissy fit right now. I mean yeah, she's dead, so what? Just move on like the rest of us,"

"Don't you dare lump me in with the majority! Isabella was one of my friends, and what happened to her is disgusting!" Riku snapped angrily, causing the man to laugh even harder.

"Friend? FRIEND? Do you hear yourself? How the fuck can you consider her a friend? You met her just yesterday. For all we know, she could have been planning to kill your ass." he spat back angrily. He took a calming breath, crossing his arms over his chest. "Forgive me for not giving a shit about her. If it makes you feel any better, I'll run up to SCP-294, buy some Gin, and I'll pour it out for her,"

"Must you be an unbearable ass? If you don't give a shit about what's going on, that's fine. But at least show some respect for the dead, if not get lost. I don't have the time, nor the effort to deal with you," Nyx snapped, causing the man to scoff. He shoved his hands in his pockets, pushing himself off the wall.  
"Whatever, if you need me, look for me in my room. But please, try not to need me," he said, brushing past the others.

"Ugh...what a douche nozzle. I truly do hope Atua's light shines on him and makes him change his ways. Isabella deserves more respect than that. I'm sure he has already welcomed her into his holy land," Bethany said, bowing her head in prayer.

"What are we supposed to do? Jibo didn't explain anything to us. I don't exactly remember the rules of the killing game." Miyaki said.

"That's because you bit the dust first. You weren't there for the entire investigation or the class trial," Ashton said.

"Daisuke, you seem to know about this, what exactly do we have to do?" Mariana said, looking at the storyteller, who had remained silent. He blinked a few times, looking at the others with a frown.

"Why do you always look to me for guidance? This may be a killing game but for all I know, it isn't run like the others. Just because I watched most of the other games, doesn't mean I'm a walking rule book,"

"Wow...what died and crawled up your ass?" Shiro said, causing the man to reel back. He wrapped his hand around his bag strap, clutching it hard. Charlotte placed a hand on his, giving him a reassuring look.

"I know we're putting a lot of pressure on your shoulders. But you are the only one here with extensive knowledge. Most of us don't know anything about the killing games as a whole. Hell, I missed all the broadcasted ones, thank god." she said reassuringly. "The last thing I wanted to see is my idol dying on screen,"

"If I recall correctly, the participants of the other games received a Monokuma File. A file containing information on the victim. It was supposed to provide information on the state of the body. As well as a cause of death and time of death," Haruna said.

"You are indeed correct, and sadly I am here to deliver precisely that," a voice said, causing everyone to jump. A loud creaking squeak filled the room, as a man walked into view.

He was dressed in a modified lab coat, the arms having been cut off at the elbow. His black shirt was untucked, had a print of a fractured heart, hot pink in color. He wore a pair of dark jeans with a few tears. Worn looking combat boots adorned his feet. He had shaggy unkempt hair, and a pair of dark red headphones hanging around his neck.

"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you. I was sent here by Doctor Momota to provide you with a little assistance," he said, pulling the cart to a stop. Daisuke stood straight as he gauged the man, keeping his gun primed and ready. Diego went a little further, having aimed his shotgun at him.

"What do you mean by assistance?" Felicks asked, making the man look right at him. He shied back slightly, wings fluttering slightly in fear. The man rolled his eyes, placing a hand on a box.

"This right here, contains your journals. They shall provide you with all of the information you may need during this game of ours. Each of you has been assigned one. They also contain the rules and regulations for this game, as well as how you can earn your tickets and rules revolving around the blackened subject. I do hope you put them to good use, they were quite hard to procure,"

"Mind telling us who you are mister? Just in case you end up murdering the crap out of us in the future?" Miya asked, causing the man to sigh.

"Sure kid, my name is Syd Sabrer. I'm the Ultimate Surgeon, if you need medical assistance, I'm your man. Try not to get into any life threatening fights. I already had to stitch two of you, I don't feel like doing the same for the rest." he said, swiftly turning around. He started heading back the way he came.

"Wait...was it you that saved my life? Are you the reason why I'm a fucking tree right now?" Ashton asked. Syd however didn't stop. "Answer me?!"

"Even if it was him, I doubt he'd give you a straight answer. Just accept that you aren't human anymore and move on. Save us the trouble of having to listen to you bitch and moan," Jose said.

"Shut your fucking mouth, you fucking demon! I hope the fires of hell burn you alive!"

Daisuke decided to ignore the bickering as he looked inside the box. Just like Syd had said, everyone of them had a journal with their name. It was a small leather-bound book, with a small strap to keep it closed. He quickly found his own, setting it aside as he passed the others back. Once they all had their own, he took a look at the first page.

"Rules and Regulations. Number 1, all subjects are expected to live a communal life on Hora Island. Leaving the island by any means is prohibited."

"Rule number 2, subjects shall be subjected to "Research Tests" from time to time. All subjects are expected to participate, this is mandatory. Rule number 3, All Subjects are allowed to explore Hora Island as they please. Try not to disturb the wild life, it may lead to some serious consequences." Charlotte continued, her eyes carefully tracing the words.

"Yawn, let's skip the boring ones. Aha, here we go, rule number 7. When a murder happens, an investigation will follow there after. Subjects have an allotted amount of time to search for clues. They will then be taken to the class trial court room to present their evidence against the blackened. All subjects are guilty until proven innocent." Shiro said.

"If a blackened is not found during the trial, then a sacrificial vote must be cast. However, if the blackened is discovered, then all remaining subjects must vote for who they believe is the blackened. If chosen, only they shall be put through an Execution. If the blackened gets away, everyone else will die, and they will leave Hora Island," Mackenzie finished.

"There's our answer I guess. We have to gather evidence and hone in on a suspect. But right now, there are a lot of variables. What do you think Miya? Do you have someone in mind?" Diego asked, turning to the Missing Persons Investigator, who had been reading her journal rather closely.

"No I don't. I investigate missing people, you know? Where's Waldo? Regular murder investigations. If you wanna find Carmen San Diego, you'll have to look somewhere else," the purplette said, her eyes falling back to her book.

"Then let's be honest. The suspect of this crime is among us. There are 23 of us still alive, right? One of us have to have done it," Mariana said.

"So you are assuming I did it? Is that correct?" Ashton said, glaring down at the dragon.

"I'm not assuming shit, but yeah, maybe it was you who did it, now that think about it. You hate fleshies so much, maybe you gutted the bitch because she pissed you off,"

"Except it wasn't me because I didn't leave my _FUCKING_ room all night!" he shouted back, his voice reverberating off the walls.

"This is getting us nowhere. I believe we should gather alibis and figure out where all of us were last night. That would help us greatly." Charlotte said.

"Then let us examine the file, perhaps it has a clue for us to go on," Haruna said, flipping through to the rules. She stopped at a page labeled _"__The Case of Isabella Swan" _noticing the file already printed on it.

**Victim Name: Isabella Swan  
**

**Time of Death: 5:59 AM**

**Cause of Death: Evisceration**

**The Victim was found at 9:00 AM this morning by Class 78-C of Hora Island. Isabella was mounted onto a concrete column, hands staked to it above her head with a steel stake. A single Y shaped incision was made on her chest cavity, where all of her organs spilled out. Her bowels have been wrapped around the victim's head. Death was almost instant.**

"Well, there it is, in black and white. She died early this morning, right before 6. That means any of us could have done it," Eris said.

"Then let's make sure our alibis are solid. Let's split into groups, half of us will take care of those, and the others will take care of the body. We need all of the information we can get." Kanemoto said.

"Seisha will act as a guard! No one will tamper with Miss Swan's body. I'll make sure of it!" the Ultimate Samebito said confidently.

"Okay, Haruna would you mind helping me? I'll need someone rational to keep track of the evidence," Daisuke said, earning a nod from the Hostess.

"I will do my utmost best Daisuke."

**_Isabella Swan's Death Report has been added to your Truth Bullets_**

The storyteller once again stepped into the cafeteria, the scent of blood permeated the air. It was a lot stronger than before, for whatever reason. He didn't want to take a look at the body yet, so he instead started looking around the cafeteria. He noticed a few of the others had joined him, deciding to look for anything that may have gone amiss.

"Haruna, when you got here this morning, you mentioned the doors being sealed shut right?" he said, turning back to the hostess. She gave him a nod.

"Yes, I wasn't able to enter the cafeteria. The doors didn't seem locked, and yet I couldn't get them open,"

"Hmm...what time did you come here?" he continued, jotting the information down in his notebook. She adopted a pensive look, placing a finger on her chin.

"It must have been around 8. I wanted to get things started a bit early. We have a lot of canned goods, so I wished to create some breakfast tarts for everyone. The hallway was completely empty, and I'm sure the others were still resting when I walked passed the other rooms," Haruna replied.

"Hmm...it's rather odd, Isabella's time of death was at 5:59AM. I was up at 5:45, yet I don't recall hearing her screams." Daisuke said, tapping the page with the tip of his pen.

"Perhaps she couldn't scream? The file pointed out a rather specific detail. A Y shaped incision. Aside from that, her intestines seemed to be wrapped around her neck. Perhaps they stopped her from screaming?" the hostess asked.

"That's likely, but right now everything is up in the air. Thanks for answering my questions Haruna. This will go a long way in figuring out what happened here," the boy said.

**_Haruna's Alibi was added to your Truth Bullets_**

_**Time of Death was added to your Truth Bullets**_

With her alibi out of the way, Daisuke and Haruna decided to take another look through the cafeteria. Nothing really seemed to stick out to them. There were no signs of fighting, no broken tables. Nothing seemed out of place. Aside from Isabella's body hanging in the room, the cafeteria looked exactly like it did the previous night. Daisuke let out a defeated sigh, leaning against one of the tables.

"Nothing, I can't find a single thing that's out of place. Besides the obvious,"

"Perhaps speaking to some of the others will help. They may have found something we didn't see." the hostess suggested, gesturing to the other groups.

With nothing to lose, Daisuke started walking toward the first group, which consisted of Shiro, Mackenzie, and Bethany. The three girls seemed to be lost in conversation about something. As they approached, they could hear the Ultimate Pele's comments, directed at Shiro.

"How could you be so heartless? That is a human being you are talking about Shiro! Atua loves all of his creations, and those comments are just hurtful!" Bethany spat, her scathing words doing nothing to the executioner.

"I'm not being heartless, I'm being realistic. Someone killed that chick, and now all of us are most likely gonna die. So it's her fault for getting herself killed, and she deserves it!"

"S-Shiro, maybe you shouldn't argue. We should all work together, not argue with each other," Mackenzie said, to no avail as the two kept bickering. Daisuke cleared his throat, instantly breaking up the argument.

"Heya Dais, what's up?" Shiro asked, her demeanor changing almost instantly. The storyteller quirked a brow, placing a hand on his hip.

"I heard most of this little spat Shiro. I don't exactly agree with what you are saying," he said. The executioner sighed, looking away from him.

"Well, it's true. If Isabella had stayed in her room, then maybe whoever did this wouldn't have had a victim. She was a shapeshifter, why the hell didn't she just shapeshift into a monster or something? She let herself die, the idiot,"

"Stop disrespecting her! Isabella doesn't deserve to be called an idiot postmortem. We should honor her life, and kneel down in prayer, so that Atua can welcome her fully into his kingdom,"

"This isn't going to get us anywhere. So allow me to broach this question, what lead to this argument in the first place? Perhaps therein lies an answer to our current predicament." Haruna asked. To their surprise, it was Mackenzie who spoke up. She tugged on her sleeve slightly, glancing at the floor.

"I um... I found something that belonged to Isabella. It was a ruby red earring, in the shape of a dragon. I found it on the floor where we are standing. Bethany noticed it and said that we should use it as an object of power. So that her soul can be blessed by Atua, while Shiro wants to bury it with Isabella's body,"

"Is that what this seriously about? An earring?" Daisuke asked, earning a nod from the three girls. "Seriously, there are more important things to worry about. But if you'd like my two cents, then it should be buried with Isabella's body. Not to impugn on your religion Bethany, but it's a bit disrespectful to take something and use it as an object of power."

"Especially if it belonged to someone who is recently deceased," Haruna added, earning a sigh from the girl.

"My apologies. Using items that belonged to our deceased friends is tradition on Kuikawa Island. A shrine is often erected in the center of our village. Where friends of the deceased place a single item upon it in remembrance. I should remember that Atua's light hasn't touched everyone in the world yet," she said, bowing her head apologetically. Daisuke narrowed his eyes briefly, gathering his thoughts.

"Kenzie, you said the earring was found here right?"

"Y-yeah. I was looking around for clues when I stepped on it. When I knelt down to pick it up, I noticed some scuff marks on the ground. The table was moved, so when I stood up, I moved it back." the painter said. Daisuke quickly jotted that detail down, a low hum leaving his lips.

"What do you think?"

"I think Isabella fought against her aggressor. She was pushed into this table, and it moved back. I think this is when her earring might have fallen out. But that's just one detail, it doesn't exactly lead to her being pinned to the wall." he said, sparing a glance at the body, which was being examined by a few others.

"Oh! What if the killer hid somewhere? They were laying in wait, and when Isabella came into the cafeteria, they pushed her into the table. She was stunned, and at that moment the killer stabbed her!" Shiro cried excitedly, an almost proud look on her face.

"That would be the case, if there were evidence of that. Aside from the table being pushed, nothing else stands out. The floor is concrete, if there were blood on it, then we would know. You can't wipe blood from concrete after all," Bethany said.

"Oh, and how would you know that? Do you guys do blood sacrifices to your false god on Kuikui island?"

"Do not test me, Shiro! Lest you want me to burn your face right off your body," the Pele said, her skin slowly turned pink in color, as the ends of her hair begun to change.

"Whoa...down girl, down. Let's not cause an eruption in here, okay?" Daisuke said. The young islander nodded, taking a calming breath.

"I must be heading out, this whole thing has me tired. I need to take a breather," Bethany said, taking her leave. Haruna turned to Shiro, shaking her head in disappointment.

"You shouldn't say things like that Shiro. Remember, your words may end up hurting someone else's feelings."

"We're on an island surrounded by supernatural killers, and some asshole who gutted Bells. I could care less about hurting someone's feelings. Jeez, people need to grow some fucking skin, I swear."

"Looks like I got all the information I could get from here, thanks Mackenzie, you've been a great help," Daisuke said, ruffling the painter's hair. She smiled brightly.

"You're welcome Daisuke, anything I can do to help. We need to get to the bottom of this, and punish Isabella's killer!"

**_Crimson Earring has been added to your Truth Bullets_**

**_Mackenzie's Discovery "Moved Table" was added to your Truth Bullets_**

"We should take a break for now. I wanna get my bearing straight, before taking a look at the body," Daisuke said softly.

"I shall prepare some tea. It may help us relax a bit." Haruna replied, politely excusing herself. Daisuke sat down at one of the empty tables, looking down at his notes.

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: (Common Room: Living Room)**

**Time: 9:15AM**

**Date: August 2****nd ****2020**

Charlotte sighed as she glanced around the room. Everyone was tense from the scene they had just witnessed. Even she was having a hard time comprehending what was going on. It was just hard to believe that one day, someone was alive, and the next day they were dead. It was such a grisly scene. It was something that would haunt her for the rest of her days. The pink haired siren had been looking at the rules that had been written in the journal, particularly one that had caught her attention.

"_Tickets and their Uses." _

Those worse had bore into her mind the moment she had seen them. She had assumed that tickets would be used solely for escaping Hora Island. However, they had another use entirely. They were almost like money, each ticket was valuable, and by collecting them, one could get a wide array of items. 5 silver tickets were the goal, an escape from Hora Island. But only one person could get out when 5 tickets were used. It was there in black and white, almost as an incentive. She felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to jump a bit.

"Jeez, mind warning me next time?" she cried, clutching her chest hard. Miyaki gave her a sheepish smile, rubbing her arm in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Charlotte, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine, I guess I'm just a bit antsy. I came here to get our alibis straight, but I've been more focused on our journal," she said, holding the book out to the blonde. She looked at it, brows furrowing a bit.

"Tickets and their Uses? So you can use tickets for things other than escaping the island?"

"I think so. I haven't read all of it, but apparently if you want a gun, you can buy one for two tickets,"

"Great, as if we needed more incentive to kill," Miyaki mumbled, handing the pinkette her journal back. "Regardless of that, we should focus on those alibis. They're our only saving grace right now,"

"Okay, will you help me? I think having someone else to vouch for these alibis would help. The last thing we want is to have inconsistencies during the class trial," Charlotte replied firmly. She looked around for a moment, deciding to speak with the nearest group of people, which consisted of Reukra, Ibb and Kanemoto. The Ultimate Pokemon trainer had a pen in her hands, and was jotting things down as Reukra spoke. She paused in between sentences, glancing up from her book.

"Hey Charlie, hi Miyaki. Is something the matter?"

"No, we just wanted to get some alibis from you. If you don't mind answering some questions that is."

"Oh, it's totally fine Charlotte. Anything to help us solve this case right?" the Ultimate Duplicator said, a look of worry on his face. He bit his lip, taking a shaky breath. "I still can't believe she's dead you know?"

"Neither can I kiddo. It's still all fresh in my mind you know? I think back on last night, and I wonder, if I had stayed up all night, would she be dead? It really hurts, especially knowing one of us did it," she replied, a dejected look on her face.

"It's okay Charlotte ...we'll get to the bottom of this," Miyaki added cheerfully. She adopted a confident look, turning to the others. "Alright, where were you last night? Preferably before Isabella's death?"

"Well, I was up until around 3 in the morning brushing Ninetales. I wanted to check on my other Pokemon, but I was a bit nervous. I'm still getting used to all this." Kanemoto said, uttering a chuckle. She reached into her bag for what looked like a watch. "I got this watch from my girlfriend, and it stopped working at exactly 3:05AM. Ibb can vouch for me, she asked about it last night,"

"I did, I had never seen a wristwatch. You spend 400 years in a painting and you sort of forget the little things in life. It was perhaps 5 minutes after I had noticed her watch stop that I went to sleep." Ibb replied.

"I can vouch for them. Me and Haruna stayed up a bit late ourselves. She seemed a bit nervous, and I was trying to keep her calm. I sort of woke up the girls," Reukra said, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Well, it wasn't you per-say, it was that copy of yours. Why would it just scream out like that?" the Ultimate Pokemon Trainer asked, causing the boy to sigh.

"Not sure, I'm still getting used to all this you know? Anyway, like I was saying. Haruna was acting a bit off...she kept wanting to head to the cafeteria," he paused, allowing Miyaki to jot down his words. He placed a finger on his chin, eyes narrowed slightly. "It was almost as if she wanted to check on something."

"And how was she acting?" Charlotte asked.

"Distressed. She said she had a weird feeling in her stomach like something bad was gonna happen. I think she was having an anxiety attack, but she was hiding it pretty well. Trust me, if there's anyone of us who knows about those, it's me," he replied with a laugh.

"So you think Haruna felt like something bad was gonna happen? Could she have known about the murder?" the circus performer asked, earning a shrug from the Duplicator.

"Hmm ...it doesn't seem likely. I asked her about it myself, but she just brushed it off. Maybe she was feeling pent up nerves, I mean she did live through the foundering of a ship." Kanemoto added.

"You might have a point there...either way, this has been rather informative. One last thing, Bethany was with you four, did she leave the room at all?" the siren asked.

"Nope, she stayed with us as well. We talked a bit about her island, and how she was kidnapped by Ultimate Despair. Even then, I think you'd know if it was her who killed Isabella." Kanemoto said reassuringly. Charlotte nodded, jotting down some notes in her journal.

"Thanks for your cooperation. Hopefully this helps us clear some suspects. Though as it stands, all four of you are in the clear," Charlotte said, a smile flashing onto her face.

**_Kanemoto, Ibb and Reukra's Account was added to your Truth Bullets_**

"Do you two have any idea who it may be?" Kanemoto asked, the two girls shared a look, shaking their heads.

"I'm afraid not. As of now, everything is up in the air. Just by looking at the body, you can tell this wasn't a normal murder. Someone wanted to make it look flashy."

"Maybe they decided to mimic a horror movie murder? I mean, this is Hora Island. Judging by what Jibo has implied, this island is just surrounded by that stuff," Miyaki said, causing her friend to shrug.

"Guess we won't know until we find something conclusive. Let's move onto those guys there. They might know something," the siren said, pointing toward the next group.

The two girls once again thanked Kanemoto and the others, moving across the room towards the counter. The common area was sort of like a living room. There was a large screen television, along with some couches, plants and tables. There was a counter top at the other side of the room, along with a large refrigerator, a sink and a microwave. Aside from that, it didn't seem as if the room was equipped with a stove. Riku and Miya were standing next to the fridge, the former holding a cup in his hands. The latter seemed to be busy with something, but Charlotte couldn't see what. The last person that made up their group was the Ultimate Gorgon, Eris Stone. She was the first to notice their approach.

"Good morning girls, making any headway?" she asked.

"Not really, but we did secure some alibis. So far, Haruna, Ibb, Reukra, and Kanemoto are free of suspicion. That also includes Bethany, if she had done it, I'm sure Isabella's body would have been turned to ash," Miyaki said.

"Which brings me to you three. You are all from different groups, can you vouch for some of your roommates?" Charlotte asked, turning to Eris first.

"Jose, Ashton, Felicks, and Mariana were all with me last night. It took awhile for us to fall asleep. I'd say it was around four AM when I finally passed out. Felicks was the first of us to fall asleep, he was out like a light at 1:45. Mariana was next, at around 2:00 AM. I didn't feel anyone else stir, my snakes would have hissed at them," Eris said firmly.

"Alright, that makes sense. If anything, I'm sure one of you would have awakened if Ashton had done it. He is a treant after all. What about you Miya, same question." Charlotte said. The Missing Persons Investigator looked up from her notes, snapping her book closed.

"I was up until 5 this morning. I was shiny hunting a Buneary and I couldn't freaking find one. I swear, I must have overturned the Eterna Forest all goshdarn night!"

"Eterna Forest?" Charlotte asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"It's from a Pokemon Game, Diamond, Pearl and Platinum. I remember playing it so much as a little girl. Who was your starter?" Miyaki asked.

"Chimchar of course, Infernape is totally awesome!"

"Awesome! You and I are a lot alike!" the circus performer said with a smile. Miya, on the other hand, shrugged it off, looking away for a moment.

"Eh not really. You're blonde, and everyone knows blonde girls are stupid,"

"Huh...what?" Miyaki exclaimed, her jaw hanging open. Charlotte held back her giggles, deciding to move on.

"So, since you seemingly stayed up later, did you hear anyone or anything in the common room?"

"I was listening to music, so I didn't hear anything. However, now that you are here, maybe we can compare notes. I was looking around the common room earlier, and I found something out of place," she said. The young investigator gestured to a rack of knives, hanging from the wall. "See the knives? The order is off. They used to be ordered from big to small, but now there are a few out of place,"

"Now that you mention it, I did notice that last night. When I came to grab some water, all of the knives were lined up neatly. Now, the steak knives are mixed up. The butcher knife is in the middle and the cleaver is at the end. Hell, the flay knife is gone completely," Riku said.

"You know knives?" Miyaki asked curiously. The boy sighed, giving her a nod.

"My step-mom often times forced me to cook for her and her entire family. So she drilled into me what each knife was for. If I used the wrong one for the wrong thing, I'd get slapped,"

"I see, I'm very sorry to hear that Rika. I hate hearing about people's bad childhoods!"

"My name isn't Rika! It's Riku, RIKU! With a U. Jesus, when I get a hold of Shiro, I'm going to strangle her!" the Ultimate Neko snapped angrily, crushing his foam cup.

"Hmm ...let's move on to you then Riku. You were bunking with Kate and Isabella last night, correct?"

"I-I. Yeah, that's right," the boy said, his demeanor changing. Charlotte noticed this and decided to press on.

"Tell me ...did Isabella leave the room last night? Did she make mention of leaving?"

"I don't know."

"Riku, you were the last one to see her alive, weren't you?" Miyaki asked, making the boy stiffen. His tail went limp, ears flattening against his head.

"Why would you say that?"

"You have rings around your eyes. I used to stay up into the late hours of the night practicing my routines. As a circus performer, you need to know your routines inside and out. Not only that, but I had to cram a lot for school. It was the only thing that could make me cope after I lost someone dear to me," she replied, looking away from the boy.

"What ...what do you mean by that?" Miya asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter right now, but what does matter is this. Riku, if you know something, then you have to tell us. I know it hurts, but it's the right thing to do," she said, taking a hold of his hands. The Ultimate Neko sighed, turning away from Miyaki, a saddened expression on his face.

"I saw Isabella leaving last night, Kate had already fallen asleep."

**_(Flashback)_**

_Riku shifted around in his bed, trying and failing to fall asleep. Across from him, on the bunk above, the Ultimate Zombie Nurse had already fallen asleep. Her light snores filling the room. The Neko questioned how someone like her could still be alive, but after being turned into a catboy, he decided not to think about it too hard._

_Isabella, however, hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Due to his heightened senses, he could tell when someone was asleep. Kate didn't exactly have a heartbeat, but Isabella did. He couldn't hear a resting heartbeat. Even if he had, he was sure her mutters would confirm that she was in fact awake. He had been hearing her doing something, but since his back was turned to her for the most part, he didn't know what. However, the audible click that filled the room let him know exactly what she was doing._

_She was playing with her gun. The subtle spinning of the cylinder was the first clue. The boy slowly and quietly shifted, so he could get a better look. She didn't even notice that he was facing her now. She was sitting on her bed, holding her .38 Special in her hand, spinning the cylinder around. Once she snapped it back in place, she'd pull the hammer back, place it on her head and pull the trigger. His eyes widened when he saw this action. She lowered the pistol, uttering a sigh._

"_I know you're awake kid, may as well sit up."_

_Riku took a shaky breath, slowly sitting up in his bunk. He shook his head a bit, fixing a bit of his bed hair. His eyes fell onto the gun in her lap. Isabella quirked a brow, reaching under her pillow. She held her fist out, dropping the bullets onto the ground. Two spent casings, and three bullets clinked onto the ground._

"_You actually think I'd shoot myself? You got a lotta nerve thinking that kitty,"_

"_Could you not? Bella, I'm worried. I've been hearing you mutter things all night. Tell me you aren't going to do anything stupid?"_

"_Stupid? By definition, what would that be? Use this gun to kill someone else? Maybe myself? Would that be considered stupid?" Isabella asked, slowly rising to her feet. Riku swallowed the lump in his throat._

"_N-No! Isabella whatever it is that's running through your head, just forget it okay? Killing is exactly what Momota wants! We can't give him that," he said, in a hushed tone. Kate stirred slightly but didn't wake. Isabella shrugged her shoulders, resting her weight on a single leg._

"_I'm nothing thinking of anything, Jesus. You need to calm down kid, I'm not gonna kill anyone. That, however, isn't gonna stop me from getting off this island. I'll stop at nothing to get out."_

"_So what...you're gonna get tickets then? You do know that those tickets are there to incentive their value. People are gonna start killing each other for tickets, doing who knows what. We have to find a way out of here without the use of them. If not, then Jibo wins," the Neko said, causing the woman to pause. She glanced at her left hand, focusing on the ring she had been wearing._

"_I know that, but someone dear to me was taken. I don't know who those men were, but they need to pay for what they did. To that end, I will get out of this shithole, and no one will stop me." _

_Riku watched as she scooped up the three bullets, quickly leaving the room. Kate stirred awake at that moment, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.  
_

_"Is something wrong? Where's Bella going?"_

"_Oh uh...she's gonna take a leak, she'll be back soon. So go back to sleep, kay?"_

"_Okay...I was having a wonderful dream, one of steak...and this boy. I wonder who he is...I guess I'll find you some other time Jace," the Zombie said, as she slowly fell back asleep._

**_(End Flashback)_**

"She didn't come back after that. I thought she was taking a walk around the facility, I didn't think she'd get killed." the boy said, looking down at his hands. His fingers wiggled slightly, anger flowing through him. "I should have gone after her, goddammit! She'd still be alive!"

"Hey, you can't blame yourself for that!" Miyaki said, placing her hands on his shoulders. She gave the boy a small smile. "Sometimes, people do things that we don't understand. It's because they are hurt, scared and alone. I know that she was killed by someone else, but maybe she made a mistake. Maybe this person killed her in retaliation,"

"Miyaki is right. In the end, the only one who knows what she was thinking was Bella herself. Our job is to find which among us killed her. I trust that you are telling the truth, and if you are, then we will find her. Thank you for sharing this with us, it'll help us a lot." Charlotte said, giving the boy a kiss on the cheek. He purred softly, his tail shooting straight up.

"T-thank you! I'm glad that I've been a great help to you two!" he said cheerfully.

**_Eris Stone's Account was added to your Truth Bullets_**

_**Miya Ainara's Account was added to your Truth Bullets**_

**_Riku Ito's Account was added to your Truth Bullets_**

A loud scream echoed through the room, causing the others to jump a bit. It didn't take long for someone, namely Nyx, to turn into the room, panting a bit.

"Guys quick, he's gonna kill him!"

"What? Who's gonna kill who?" Kanemoto cried out. Nyx took a breath, pointing behind her.

"Ashton, he's got Lars pinned to the wall! Hurry before he kills him!"

_**xxx**_

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 (Cafeteria)**

**Time: 9:30AM**

**Date: August 2****nd ****2020**

"Thanks for the tea Haruna, it really did help me relax," Daisuke said, setting his empty cup down. Haruna gave him a polite bow, a small smile on her face.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Even with our current situation, it is better than drinking soda." she softly replied. The boy sighed, glancing around the unkempt looking kitchen.

"It's been awhile since I've had good tea, my fiancee used to make it all the time back in the day,"

"You had a fiancee?"

"Mhmm...she was the love of my life, my little Palomita. Oh, that means Turtle Dove in Spanish. I thought she was the one, and at one time she was. Sadly despair got to her, and she became someone she wasn't. I've forced myself to move on but," he paused, glancing at the empty cup. "Somehow, she still crosses my mind. I'm sure she's enjoying all this, the real her is long gone,"

"I can't exactly comment on that, but do know that she most certainly loves you. She just lost her way, regardless it is time for us to return to the investigation. We've put it off long enough," she said, taking hold of their empty cups. He stood up from his seat, briefly glancing at the back of the room. His brows furrowed in confusion.

"Haruna...was that red balloon always there?" the storyteller said, causing the hostess to turn around. She noticed the balloon that was tied to one of the flour jars.

"I'm," she paused, biting her lower lip. "I'm not sure,"

"Let's just uh, not speak of this to anyone then," he said. She gave him a nod, turning back to the dirty dishes she had been washing.

Daisuke took a deep breath, as he headed back out into the cafeteria. A few people had left, while others had come to survey the body. He didn't pay them any mind, wanting to take a look at the body himself. He had gotten used to the smell of death a long time ago, looking at something like this was no issue. He was careful not to step in anything, especially the copious amounts of blood on the ground. He knelt down, looking at the organs.

"_They all seem to be here, her bowels are wrapped around her neck. Yet some still hangs from the abdominal cavity. Hmm...wait, one of her kidneys is missing," _he thought, looking around for a moment.

"Have you found anything?" Mariana asked, having approached the storyteller. He looked up, giving her a nod.

"Yes, it seems one of Isabella's kidneys is missing. I'm not exactly one to check, but I want to confirm it's in the body," he said. Mariana looked back at the pinned corpse, scrounging her nose a bit.

"Mierda...it has to be that way doesn't it?"

"I guess, but I just like to make sure you know?"

"I know," the manakete said. She pinched her nose as she stuck her hand in the corpse, feeling around for a moment. Daisuke didn't even grimace as she moved stuff around, a loud squelching sound filling his ears. "I can't feel anything!"

"It should be in the back, you know...behind the intestines?"

"Well, all the intestines are on the fucking ground!" Mariana exclaimed loudly. After another second, she pulled her hand out, shaking a bit of blood onto the floor. "Yeah, there's nothing in there. Nothing but blood and other shit,"

"So her kidney is missing, how peculiar. Why would someone kill a person and just take their kidney?"

"Probably because they're sick in the head, like the old man who brought us here," the redhead replied, causing the boy to shrug.

**_Isabella's Missing Kidney was added to your Truth Bullets_**

Taking a closer look at the body, Daisuke noticed a few things were off. For one, the incision, which from afar look nice and clean, was actually very jagged. It was almost as if someone had used a saw or another cutting tool. He briefly looked at the knife that was stabbed into her thigh.

"Doesn't look like this is the murder weapon,"

"What do you mean? I mean look at the cut, clearly, it was made by that knife!" Mariana said, pointing at the corpse. Daisuke shook his head.

"The Y shaped incision looks neat from afar, but when you look at it, it looked as if she was sawed open. I have no doubt that the murder weapon was someone else,"

_**Not the Murder Weapon (Knife) was added to your Truth Bullets**_

"So if the knife is not the murder weapon, then what the hell did that?" the manakete asked, pointing to the incision.

"I'm not exactly sure. But the cut itself is a bit odd don't you think?"

"How so?" the voice of Haruna asked, causing the two to turn around. Daisuke gestured to the body with his left hand.

"I'm no professional, but the only time I've seen Y incisions are in forensics. When autopsies are performed, it is the quickest way to examine all the organs,"

Mariana remained silent, gathering her thoughts. "Autopsies huh? Only one person comes to mind when thinking about them,"

"Who?"

"Kate," the redhead said, answering the hostess' question. "She's a nurse, right? So she knows how to do this kind of shit. Not to mention, she probably stole that kidney. She needs to eat after all, and zombies traditionally eat human flesh,"

"I don't think that's the case here Mariana, but I will keep that in mind. It does make sense. However you have to take something else into account," Daisuke said, pointing to the stake currently keeping Isabella pinned to the wall. "Whoever did that, must have had immense strength. To keep her held up and also drive that stake into the wall?"

"Maybe they got help?"

"That makes sense actually, but that doesn't explain one thing. How was that person able to drive an iron stake into a concrete column?" Daisuke asked. The two ladies shared a look, both looking defeated.

"It does make it hard to pin down huh?"

"Hmm...perhaps someone here can fit both criteria? Someone strong enough to subdue Isabella. As well as someone who can hold her up and stake her to the wall at the same time," Haruna suggested.

"Well, whoever that is, he currently eludes me. We haven't got much time, and right now I don't have the answer," the Ultimate Storyteller said, finally looking away from the body. He pinched the bridge of his nose, uttering a sigh. "Honestly, I'm nowhere closer to the truth than I was half an hour ago,"

"We'll find out the truth, we still have time. Perhaps another sweep of the facility will yield answers." Haruna suggested. The ground shook slightly as Seisha ran into the room, a look of worry on his face.

"Mr. Daisuke, something is going on! I think there's a fight, I heard screaming!"

"What? Where?" the man asked.

"Down the hall, I think it was in the recreation room!"

"Then let's go! The last thing we need is someone else getting hurt, or worse!" he exclaimed, hastily leaving the room. Everyone followed suit, curious as to what was going on. With the room finally empty, the one who remained behind, finally made their move.

_**xxx(End of Chapter 1: Act 1)xxx**_

_**Surviving Subjects 23**_

**AN: You must all be wondering, why did I write this when I said I'd return in June? Well, I felt like wrapping up this investigation a bit early, that and I wanted to give everyone a bit of slack. I guess I'm not good with cliff hanger endings, I just want to see shit get resolved. But hey, you all get a chapter half a month early, so hooray for you!**

**Anyway, thanks to everyone who has read this! I appreciate you taking time out of your day to read this. I'd like to thank my beta as well, who took time tonight to read my stuff and edit it. I will compensate you with Chicken McNuggets, Princess's Honor!**

**Whelp...see you all next time!**


	10. C1 Act 2: We Lucky Few

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 1 Act 2

We lucky few

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 (Recreation Room)**

**Time: 9:35 AM**

**Date: August 2****nd, ****2020**

"You take that back you piece of shit! Take it back!" Ashton shouted as he slammed the man into the wall. Lars let out a laugh, a wide grin splitting his face.

"It's the truth. The reason why you are here right now is because you don't mean shit to anyone. Being turned into a tree is the best thing that happened to you,"

"Fuck you!" the Ultimate Treant shouted, throwing a punch at the Demonologist, who easily avoided it. The wall where his head had been cracked slightly. He let out another laugh, wiping his lip.

"The only reason you react that way is because I'm telling the truth. If I wasn't, then you wouldn't even feel the need to fight me. No one loves you, that's why they let you almost die in that hospital," Lars said, earning a growl from the man. He was about to throw another punch when a group of people arrived, quickly breaking it up.

"What the hell is the matter with you? Jesus Christ, we're in the middle of some important business here!" Daisuke shouted, standing in between the two.

"He started it. That twink was taunting me, telling me that I was the one that did this. It wasn't me goddamn it!" Ashton shouted angrily.

"Well if it truly wasn't you then you wouldn't react this way. The truth will set you free as they say. If you truly are innocent, then why are you making a big fuss about it?" the Demonologist asked curiously. Ashton growled, pulling his fist back when he froze in place. He tried to move, but he remained frozen.

"W-what...what the hell?"

"That is enough Ashton! I am tired of your behavior towards everyone here," the Ultimate Dryad snapped angrily. The man turned his head slightly, seeing the young woman holding her hand up, a vibrant green light swirling around her palm. "I am still discovering my powers, but the easiest one is plant-life manipulation. Don't make me leave you like this for longer than I need too,"

"You bitch! I thought you were a tree hugger?!" he exclaimed.

"I'm nothing of the sort. I just don't like conflict, it leads to making terrible mistakes. Mistakes that will change peoples lives for the worst. I do not wish to see anyone else die, not if I can do anything to stop it. So please, just drop it," Dalila said, in a saddened tone. Ashton clicked in his tongue, giving her a tiny nod. She released her hold on him, causing him to regain movement of his body.

"Don't you dare do that to me again Dalila, I mean it," he said firmly. He turned to Lars, who had remained stoic throughout the ordeal. "You, you need to keep your fucking mouth shut, before someone shuts it for you,"

"I'll keep that in mind, buh-bye!" he said, waving at the treant, who turned around and left the room. His booming footsteps shook the building as he disappeared down the corridor.

"You mind telling me what the fuck lead to this?" the storyteller asked, facing Lars. He shrugged, tugging on his jacket.

"I merely suggested that he was getting revenge on Isabella. He has a clear disdain for the _fleshies_as he so aptly put. Not to mention, the way the body was pinned to the wall leads me to believe one thing,"

"Oh...and what is that thing?" Charlotte asked, standing next to the man, hands on her hips.

"It leads me to believe you are all brain dead retards, of course!"

"Tsk, fucking asshole. Let's not bother with this shithead, all he's good for is pointless comments," Mariana spat, swiftly turning around. One of her wings slapped the man, sending him sprawling back.

"Oi, you dragon bitch! Watch where the fuck you aim those fuckin things!"

"Whoops, I didn't see where I was looking, sorry~," the manakete said in a sarcastic tone.

"There will be a time where you'll be begging for my help. And I won't give it to you. Even if you grovel at my feet, even if you lick my ass! I will help none of you!" Lars shouted, gesturing at the group with his book, hurriedly taking his leave. Daisuke sighed, pinching his eyes.

"It's too fuckin' early for this shit," he said.

"Hmm... this encounter did show me a few things, however," Haruna said, grabbing his attention. He watched as the hostess walked up to the wall, scrutinizing the large crack in the wall. "This was the impact of Ashton's fist. Look at the crack, he's strong enough to break cinder blocks,"

"You make a good point, it must have taken immense strength to actually break that," he muttered, eyes narrowed in thought.

"You aren't actually considering him as a suspect, are you?" Felicks asked. Daisuke turned to face the fairy, a blank look on his face.

"I'm not pointing the finger at anyone, but someone had to have pinned her to the wall. One thing that eludes me is that steel stake, and how it was driven into the wall. If someone had drilled a hole into the column, I'm sure we would have heard it," he said.

"Not necessarily,"

Everyone turned to Eris, who had a rather pensive look on her face. Upon noticing everyone was staring, she flushed. Her snakes coiled back, each of them hiding their heads in the mass of serpents sprouting from her scalp. She cleared her throat, trying not to stutter.

"I've been thinking about something. This is an SCP Foundation Site right?" she asked, earning nods from everyone. "Well, wouldn't this place be sound proofed?"

"Sound proofed? I don't get what you mean," Diego said. Miya sighed, grumbling under her breath.

"Sound proofing! You know, that felty foam stuff that music producers put on their walls? She means that. But inside the walls. Either that or they made the walls so thick that sound doesn't travel through it," she said matter of factly.

"That isn't out of the realm of possibility. Ashton was able to crack the brick. If he's strong enough to crack it, shouldn't his fist have flown clean through it?" Kanemoto asked curiously.

"I could feel him fighting back when I held him. I'm still getting used to these odd powers, but I could feel his willpower. He can easily break through this wall, he was just holding back," Dalila added, a concerned look on her face.

"I'll be sure to jot this down, for now, we haven't gotten much time. We need to gather as much information as we can before our time is up." Daisuke said firmly.

_**Ashton's Strength (Cracked Cinder Block) was added to your Truth Bullets**_

**_Eris Stone's Sound Proofing Theory was added to your Truth Bullets_**

"I'll be returning to the cafeteria, to finish up with Isabella's body. Can I trust you to speak with Lars? I feel like he knows more than he's letting on," Daisuke said, looking back to Charlotte, who gave him a nod.

"Consider it done, good luck Dais. I'm sure we'll be able to solve this crime. With the stuff we've gathered, I'm sure we have a good case,"

With that, the two split up, once again heading to finish the investigation.

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 (Staff Office 1)**

**Time: 9:40 AM**

**Date: August 2****nd, ****2020**

It didn't take long to find Lars. The young man wasn't exactly hard to track down. He had been in one of the empty offices, muttering to himself with his back turned to the door. All of the tables in the room had been moved, along with a few of the cubicle dividers. Charlotte wasn't exactly expecting what she had found, however.

The young man had drawn something on the floor. Something she had only seen in Occult films and in creepypasta. A pentagram, with what looked like human blood. She noticed that there was a salt circle on the outside of the pentagram, several canisters of salt having been tossed aside. It was all meticulously spread out so that not a single granule was out of place. The siren continued to watch as he flipped feverishly through his book, incoherent babbling escaping his lips.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Ah! Back, stay back you foul beast!" Lars exclaimed, pointing his decorative knife at Charlotte. She quirked a brow, not at all threatened by the young man.

"I'm not scared of you, the hell are you doing? You trying to contact the dead or some shit?"

"Absolutely not! This is a very important ritual, one that takes a great deal of strength and focus. Now that I am a demonologist, I have been gifted with certain..._aspects_, that I wish to explore." he said, flicking his coat. "Now I would appreciate it if you take your massive tits and walk your cooter out of my office,"

"You know, I really wanna know if your mom is still alive. Because she needs to be informed of what an absolute chucklefuck her son is,"

"And I wish to know if your father is alive. That way I can tell him what an absolute cunt escaped his ball sack," he spat back. The siren sighed, pulling her journal from her skirt pocket.

"Alright douche bag, answer me a simple question. Do you know something about this murder that we don't?" she asked, clicking her pen, pressing it expectantly to the page. Lars let out a chuckle, crossing his arms.

"Even if I did, why would I tell you?"

"So that's a clear yes, the blood, where did you acquire it?" she continued, forcefully pressing the young man.

"Where do you think I got it? There was a surplus of blood at the murder scene wasn't there?" he asked. Charlotte's eyes widened as she looked up from her notebook, an emotionless look on her face.

"You ...you stole blood from Isabella's body?"

"That's right, it didn't take me long. In fact, while you all were deciding what to do for the investigation, I slipped in and grabbed some," he said.

"That's bullshit, you left. You said and I quote _'Whatever, if you need me, look for me in my room. But please, try not to need me.'_" she paused for a moment, trying to take a breath. "You mean to tell me, while we were looking at our journals, you slipped in, grabbed some blood and slipped out?"

"Mhmm...funny what you can do when people are distracted huh? I only took a jar, enough for me to do what I need. Besides, it's not like she's gonna need it, being dead and all," Lars said smugly. Charlotte growled, hastily crossing something out before writing something in its place.

"Am I to assume you were alone all night then? Did you at least hear Isabella getting murdered? Or are you gonna keep that to yourself too?"

"What do you think sweetheart?" he spat in an annoyed tone. Charlotte sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with the man.

**_Lars Weyer's Account was added to your Truth Bullets_**

**_Odd Ritual Was added to your Truth Bullets_**

_**Jar of Blood (Isabella's) was added to your Truth Bullets**_

"Now, if you are done asking questions, please leave. I do not want to waste my breath with you, hooker," he said, brushing her off with his hand. Charlotte smirked, reaching into her knapsack for one of her water bottles. She cracked it open, pouring it out on the salt circle, ensuring it was completely soaked.

"Have fun with your stupid ritual,"

"Ugh...you are made of bitch," Lars mumbled under his breath, as the Ultimate Siren finally took her leave.

**_xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 (Cafeteria)**

**Time: 9:45 AM**

**Date: August 2****nd, ****2020**

At the same time, Daisuke was just returning to the cafeteria. The corridor was completely empty, due to the fight between Ashton and Lars. Even though it hadn't even been an hour since the body discovery, to the storyteller, it felt like an eternity. He just wished to put this matter to bed and find the one responsible. However, his thoughts all came to a sudden halt when he heard the sounds of sobbing. Daisuke looked up from his journal, just in time to see Jose consoling Seisha, who was sitting on the ground crying. The young man quickly shortened the distance, kneeling down next to the two.

"Seisha what's wrong?" he asked. All he got as a reply was babbling and sobbing. He sighed, turning to Jose, who gave him a shrug.

"I dunno man, I walked up here and he was like this. Whatever happened, it must have spooked him," the demon replied. He glanced back at the samebito, a soft clinking filling his ear. The two noticed the small rubies that were falling around the humanoid shark. "He's crying rubies?"

"Samebito cry tears of blood, which solidify into rubies." the brown-haired lad said, placing a hand on Seisha's shoulder. "What's wrong bud, did something happen?" he asked curiously.

"I saw something scary!"

"Something scary?" the boy reiterated. He nodded, pointing a clawed hand at the cafeteria door.

"S-she's ...she's eating her,"

"What? Who's eating what?" Jose asked. Daisuke swallowed hard, the color draining out of his face. He shakily rose to his feet, walking toward the cafeteria. His hand flew to his mouth, holding back the urge to vomit.

Kneeling down before the pile of organs, was none other than the Ultimate Zombie Nurse. What was more shocking, was the fact that part of Isabella's thigh had been cut off her body, using the knife. Her hands were smeared pink with blood, as she scooped up some organs and shoved them into her mouth. She swallowed the bite in her mouth, grabbing another piece of severed flesh, taking a large bite from it. She almost sounded like a hungry dog, tearing into a sirloin steak that had been dropped onto the floor. As if feeling someone's presence, the young woman looked up, eyes wide like saucers as she took notice of the Storyteller. Her jaw dropped, a piece of muscle and skin dropping to the ground with a soft _plop_.

"T-this isn't what it looks like," she began. She looked down at the floor, gagging a bit as she finally saw what she had done. "Oh god, that's disgusting!"

"Kate, what the hell? How could you do this?!" Jose cried out, a horrified look on his face. The nurse looked at her hands, decorated with Isabella's coagulated blood. She felt around her mouth with her tongue, the subtle taste of iron and flesh lingered on her lips. She felt hot and sticky, her stomach swirling with satisfaction.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do this! I was just so...hungry," she said, putting emphasis on the word. "I wanted to conduct a proper examination of the body, to see if I could find something new. But her flesh smelled so...delicious! Her blood tasted sweet, and her liver! Oh, it was so juicy and tender! I wonder what it would taste like if it were cooked,"

"Dios Mio! Voy a vomitar!" Jose cried in Spanish, racing out of the cafeteria. Just as he did, Diego, Felicks, and Kanemoto walked in, wondering for a brief moment why the Ultimate Demon had run off. Upon seeing Kate kneeling in blood, they connected the dots.

"Holy Arceus! What the shit is going on here?"

"Jesus, don't tell me she actually-" Diego didn't finish the sentence, already sick to his stomach.

"Guys, it isn't her fault. She's a zombie, Isabella's body was left unguarded. I will admit, I should have stayed behind rather than leaving. If only Ashton and Lars hadn't had that stupid spat!"

"It isn't your fault Daisuke, it's mine. I should just leave and stay away from the body. I should stay away from everyone!" Kate cried out, tears leaking from her eyes.

"It's no one's fault alright? It isn't your fault that you are a zombie. We should have done a better job guarding the body. Instead, we fucked off because didn't know what the fuck to do. I apologize, Kate, truly," Diego said. The girl sniffled a bit, giving him a smile. Daisuke reached into his bag, pulling out a towel he had recovered.

"Here, clean your face off. We don't need anyone else seeing you like that. Kanemoto, would you mind checking on Seisha for me? He was pretty shaken up,"

"Alright, I'll let him play with Ninetales for a bit, that should cheer him up!" the Pokemon Trainer said cheerfully. Diego watched her go, shifting his eyes back to Isabella's body.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, Bella."

"Y-yeah...I didn't think someone would do this to you. You had such a rough personality, I thought out of anyone, you'd live." Felicks said softly, bowing his head. His eyes caught sight of something, and he knelt down to look closer. "Um...this might be a morbid question but, this organ here, it's the heart right?" he asked.

Daisuke glanced down at the floor, looking at what the Fairy was pointing too. "That's right, that's Isabella's heart,"

"I see...I dunno much about human anatomy but, don't you think this hole is a bit weird?"

"Hole? What hole?" Diego queried, glancing at the organ. The green haired boy rose a dainty hand, pointing at the hole.

"That right there, it's right in the middle of the organ. I know the heart has ventricles and other arteries. But I don't remember if it had a hole in the center,"

"It doesn't. The heart doesn't have a heart in the middle, that was caused by something else." Kate said, taking a hold of the organ. Everyone gave her a worried look. "I'm not going to eat it, I promise."

"I trust you. What do you see?" the storyteller asked.

"It's a small hole, it's round. Looking closely, I had assumed it was a knife wound. But that doesn't seem likely." Kate said as she looked the organ over. She turned it around, seeing a matching hole, slightly larger, on the other side. "I'm not sure what did it, but this is likely to be a fatal wound!"

"Fatal wound? Do you think this was done before or after she was killed?" Daisuke asked curiously. Kate remained silent, not exactly knowing how to answer.

"This was...before, definitely before! This makes a lot more sense than evisceration. The Victim File said Isabella died almost instantly right? Maybe this is what caused her death!" she said firmly.

"That would make a lot of sense. Perhaps the evisceration and this wound happened at the same time. Maybe Isabella was already in cardiac arrest from this wound. The killer then stabbed her, pulled her guts out and wrapped them around her neck," Daisuke said, jotting the potential theory down in his journal.

"That's sick...why the hell would someone do that? If someone wanted to kill, why the hell wouldn't they just make it quick?" the Latino boy asked. Felicks sighed, wings fluttering a bit.

"Maybe it was because Isabella was stronger than she let on. Maybe she fought back, even while she was dying. As she was losing blood, the killer got the upper hand, and finished her off." he suggested. He slowly rose to his feet, turning away from the body. "I just...can't believe this. The world was fine! Everything was getting better...why is this still happening?" he cried, grabbing his head tightly.

"I'm not sure kid. Of what I am sure though, is that someone here is a lot stronger than they let on. Whatever the case, this has definitely been informative," Daisuke spoke, his voice founding saddened and fatigued.

**_Isabella's Heart was added to your Truth Bullets_**

"Daisuke, I have a question for you," Diego said, pulling the man aside. Felicks nervously watched the two, as Kate slowly stood up, still drying the blood from her face and hands.

"What's up?"

"Did you find Isabella's gun?" he asked in a hushed tone. Daisuke shook his head.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her gun at all. I'm sure Riku would have handed it over if she had left it behind."

"That's my thought process too," he replied. The two men huddled a bit closer, keeping their voices down. "I'm not sure about you but, I would be worried. Whoever did this probably has her gun. I'm not sure if they can procure ammunition. But with the Tickets and Uses section of the rules, I'm sure they could buy some more,"

"I doubt someone would waste a ticket for bullets. Not when they're necessary for leaving this island,"

"I thought so too, but remember, if you kill someone with a gun, only a couple people are suspicious. Unless their head is blasted off their shoulders, the only one they'll blame is you," Diego said. Daisuke swallowed hard, his heart beat quickening a bit.

"_Shit, he's right. I'm the only other person with a handgun. If the killer got their hands on that weapon, then they'll definitely pose a threat. Fuck ...I should have been more careful!" _

"Try not to worry, I'm sure you have enough ammunition to defend yourself if it came to that. But we shouldn't mention it until the time is right. If someone figures out the gun is missing, it would cause a panic. That's the last thing we need,"

"You're right. Jesus, I can't believe we're on a supernatural island, with monsters and shit hunting us down. And what we have to worry about most is a goddamned gun," Daisuke said, causing Diego to laugh.

"Ironic isn't it? Our undoing is a simple missing firearm. I'm not gonna let that shit happen alright? I've got people outside this hellhole waiting for me."

"Your sister right? Alejandra?"

"That's right. She's older than me. We got separated awhile back, and I've been searching for her. I found a flier for the AUP in her room, so I decided to join up, in case she was here. I guess I was wrong. I don't even know what talent they gave me," the Latino boy said, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "What about you, got any siblings?"

"I have a little sister, Erika. With luck, she's miles away from this island. But knowing Jibo, he's probably after her already. I wouldn't put it past him to grab our loved ones and use them as hostages."

"Yeah, the other killing games did that too...we shouldn't focus too hard on this. We should just deal with the problem in front of us,"

**_Isabella's Missing Gun was added to your Truth Bullets_**

A loud siren started ringing throughout the facility, causing the two men to jump slightly. Felicks let out a startled yelp, almost slipping on a bit of blood. The three boys and Kate turned to face the nearest monitor, which flitted to life moments after. The tired, but excited looking Jibo appeared on it, his gloved hands resting on his lap.

"_This is an announcement for all remaining Test Subjects. Your investigation time is now over. Please, head towards the front of the facility and head to the car port. It's time for our first class trial to begin," _

The monitor shut off thereafter, throwing the entire room into silence. In the distance, a loud whirling sound could be heard, as the protective gates were lifted. Daisuke sighed, turning to face Isabella's body.

"I promise you, Bella, I'm going to bring your killer to Justice. They need to pay for what they have done to you," he said. Diego put his hand on Daisuke's shoulder, giving him a silent nod. The two started toward the doors, hoping to put this case to rest.

**_xxx(Investigation End)xxx_**

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 (Car Port)**

**Time: 10:00 AM**

**Date: August 2****nd, ****2020**

The 23 remaining subjects had finally tasted the outdoors. Despite the raging storm the night before, the area seemed clear of detritus and rubble. Even the bodies of the deceased dogs had been removed. The skies were clear, with a few puffy clouds slowly drifting above them. Even the birds were chirping, singing their merry summer songs. It was humid, the air feeling a bit muggy. Daisuke poured over his notes, not noticing Mackenzie and Shiro walking up to him.

"Heya Dais! Did you find everything you were looking for?"

"I hope so. What about you? Anything you think can help?" he asked. Mackenzie nodded, reaching into her pants pocket.

"I found this in the corridor on the way out. I think it belonged to Isabella's gun," she said softly, placing the item in his palm. He looked it over, humming to himself.

"It's a shell casing. .38 Special. Seems to me like someone dropped this,"

"You see, my idea was that someone was being shot at. Maybe Bella's attacker had their own gun. Or maybe Bella herself was fighting back. When she fired her gun, the shell casing was ejected!"

"That would make sense, except revolvers don't eject shell casings. So whoever used this bullet, must have dropped it when they were reloading. Either that, or it's old. I can't exactly say it pertains to our case. Sorry Kenzie," the boy said, causing her to frown.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I knew it was a waste of time," she said. He shook his head, ruffling her hair.

"It's fine. It was good that you showed me this, you never know when something like this could come into play. So thanks for bringing it up!" he said happily.

**"**_**Tee hee hee! It seems everyone is finally here! Oh boy oh boy! I'm so excited for this!" **_a feminine voice cried out, causing everyone to stop chatting. They all faced forward, trying to find the source of the voice.

As if on cue, appearing from behind one of the armored vehicles, was a small plush looking animatronic. It stood only 2 feet tall, and had very sharp looking claws, looking almost like knife blades. It was a pudgy looking bear, with stubby feet. The right side of its body was a bright crimson red, while the left was a deep icy blue. Its left eye was glowing an ominous crimson as it glared at the twenty-three subjects.

**"**_**Sorry, it took me so long to get here. You would not believe how hard it is to get good service. Sheesh, it took me forever just to walk my ass to the boat docks!"**_

"Who the hell are you? One of those bear rejects from Hope's Peak Academy?" Ashton snapped, causing the bear to look at him. She snorted, holding back a giggle.

**"**_**Well don't you have a short temper? And here I thought being surrounded by nature was supposed to make you feel happy. What's wrong buddy? Did a woodpecker peck your pickled pecker off?"**_

"Enough...explain yourself. Who are you and what are you doing on this island? We haven't the time nor the effort to deal with you!" Haruna spat angrily. The bear sighed, shaking her head.

**"****_Sheesh, the nerve of some people. Here I thought the Old Man would explain who I am but eh...what the hell. I guess I'll just have to tell ya!"_**

The bear jumped up into the air, flipping around for a moment. As she landed, she knelt down, holding a top hat in her clawed hand. She swung a baton around for a moment, twirling as she slowly stood up.

**"****_Ladies and Gentlemen, children of all ages. Put your hands together for the Greatest Showgirl on Earth! Coming to you from Spooky Land in what's left of Kuma-Kuma Land, the hostess with the mostess is here to direct you all to your dooms! Give it up for the one, the only..."_** she paused, a loud drum roll filling the air. **_"_**_**Surassahakuma!"**_

Everyone remained silent, not knowing how to react to the bear's introduction. In fact, it was so quiet that the crickets could be heard chirping. The bear cleared her throat, placing her top hat on her head as she faced them all.

**"****_Tough crowd, tough crowd. I can't exactly blame ya, I mean, one of you fucks is already dead. I would say they're sleeping with the fishes, but that's a better fate than being turned into breakfast!"_**

"Would you get on with it? If you are here to tell us you are another Monokuma wannabe, then don't. We don't have time for you or Jibo's bullshit. So take us to the class trial courtroom and get lost!" Shiro snapped angrily.

"Don't, you piss her off and she might actually kill you. It hasn't stopped the other Kuma's from doing this before," Daisuke warned, as he looked at the bear. "I take it that is why you are here then?"

**"****_Correctamundo! You see, Doctor Momota is in a very delicate state. He can barely move around these days. The trip to space put a number on him. So that's where I come in! Syd and Miss Terazawa will be with me to precede over the hearings. But the final decision will be with me!"_**

"Just what we needed, a mastermind who is too goddamn pussy to actually be with us. What a fucking joke, I hope he dies of cancer!" Lars spat angrily.

**"****_Hey! Don't say that! Cancer is a very serious thing, it's already debilitating Doctor Momota! You need to be respectful of him!"_** Surassahakuma cried in anger. She took a deep breath, turning around**. ****_"_****_Come now, we must make it to the Class Trial Courtroom. There is a service elevator that will take us there lickety-split. Stick together, I'm not responsible if you fall off the platform and die. Hyuk hyuk hyuk!"_**

The twenty-three remaining subjects decided it was best to follow the bear to the courtroom. Just as she said, there was a set of plush red doors nearby. She pressed a few buttons with her clawed digits, causing the doors to be unlocked. As soon as she did, she stepped inside, gesturing for the others to follow suit.

The room was rather small, though everyone was able to fit comfortably. The old style elevator began creaking as it started descending. The metallic walls seemed to pass by as it went lower and lower. Arm rails rose from the platform, locking in place as they left the protected shaft, continuing lower and lower into the darkness. A single lightbulb illuminating the way.

"I'm nervous...what if we don't find the killer?" Charlotte asked softly.

"Hey, don't say that! We got a lot of evidence, we'll find Isabella's killer. I'm sure of it!" Miyaki said cheerfully.

"Mhmm! That's totally right, and if not then I'm sure my keen intellect will be of some use. After all, I am an investigator. I'm sure I can solve this crime with one hand tied behind my back!" Miya boasted, earning a chuckle from Ashton.

"You think so, kid? I thought you only looked for missing persons. Even then you are pretty bad at that job, seeing as Bethany and Haruna are standing right behind you!" he said, bursting into laughter right after.

"Shut up you!"

"Please Atua, let your guiding light help us find the architect of this ghastly crime. Their criminal ways must be punished. Their will pales in comparison to your holy light. I'm certain you will be able to help us in this trying time," Bethany said softly, as she clutched some prayer beads in her hands. Her head was bowed as she continued softly praying.

"I'm certain we'll be able to find a solution to this. I just know it, we have to believe in ourselves!" Nyx said, clutching her hands tightly.

"I sure hope you are right Nyx. I wish I was as optimistic as you right," Reukra said, glancing away after a second. "Though if I'm being honest, I'm not sure if I'm confident enough in myself right now."

"Neither am I. I keep seeing Isabella just hanging there. She was my first friend here on Hora Island. The one who took care of me for days before we even met Nyx. She kept me alive in the woods, and I wasn't even able to keep her alive! Goddamn it all!" Riku cried out, his arms shaking in anger.

"Oh my god, seriously? Can you stop blaming yourself? For fucksakes, the people who blame themselves are just pussies. Either own up to your ineptitude or shut your fucking mouth. You are wasting my oxygen," Lars spat, glaring at the Ultimate Neko.

"Hey buddy, why don't you fucking close yours? No one asked for your input," Jose replied, glaring at the Demonologist.

"We shouldn't fight! We should all be friends. Isabella was our friend, so we should respect her memory." Seisha said, towering over the two, an angry look on his face.

"I agree with Seisha. Let us at least stop being at each other's throats. Once this trial is over, we can figure out what to do next. For now, let us focus on finding the one responsible," Dalila said firmly. Everyone grumbled their reply, finally throwing the room into silence. It wasn't long after that it reached its destination.

**"****_Alright, everyone file out!" _**Surassahakuma said, tapping her cane against the floor. The doors slowly slid open, revealing the class trial courtroom.

24 wooden stands could be seen, all of them fashioned into a circle. All of them had crimson runners, extending toward the steps where the subjects would be standing. The very front of the room featured three throne style chairs. The largest one was where Jibo Momota would sit if his name tag was evident. Next to that chair lied two more. One being occupied by Syd, and the other by an unknown woman. Surassahakuma sprinted forward, jumping onto one of the stands. She spun through the air, landing in the large chair, whirling around to face the group.

**"****_Welcome one and all to the Class Trial Courtroom! This here is where the magic happens! I'm sure you know how this shit works, but I'll explain the rules momentarily. Now, take your seats! This is where the fun starts!"_**

"So, mind telling us who you are miss?" Daisuke asked as he found his stand. The woman in question sat up slightly, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"My name is Saino Terazawa. I've been asked by Doctor Momota to watch over these trials. I am here to ensure everything runs smoothly and the rules are followed. Syd has been assigned to the same job. Worry not, we are not going to interfere in any way," she replied. Syd cleared his throat, tugging on his lab coat.

"That's right, we're just here to document things as they go down. Who lives, and who dies, is completely up to you. Everything you know about the other killing games will be useless to you. And now that you've taken your stands, let the Hora Island's First Class Trial, commence!"

_**xxx(End of Chapter 1 Act 2: We Lucky Few)xxx**_

**_Surviving Subjects 23_**

_**AN: Man, this chapter was a blast to write. We finally finished the investigation and got all of our clues gathered up. But who's the puppet-master of this crime? Will the clues help you at all? Or am I just spinning you in circles? Who knows really? Well...I do I guess.**_

_**And with this, the first class trial officially begins. We also get introduced to Surassahakuma! The newest Kuma coming straight from Kuma-Kuma Land. But who is she? Is she like the other Kuma? Or is she someone else entirely? Is she an AI? I'll let you all figure it out yourselves haha.**_

_**Whelp, with this chapter, I am taking a small break. I've been cranking these out for a bit and I wanna take a break. So you all get another cliff hanger ending, at least until the first half of the Class Trial is Posted. And speaking of that, my class trial format is a lot different than Crit's. I like to style mine to look as close to the games as possible. The system might be a little different than what you are used to. So I'll be doing it my way. If you all like it, then that's how it will stay, but if not then I shall revert to the more traditional LoD style of Trials.**_

**_I'm gonna take off now. I do hope you've enjoyed these chapters. They've been a blast to write! See ya soon~_**


	11. C1 Act 3: The First Class Trial

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 1 Act 3

The First Class Trial

_**xxx(Evidence)xxx**_

**Victim Name: Isabella Swan  
**

**Time of Death: 5:59AM**

**Cause of Death: Evisceration**

**The Victim was found at 9:00 AM this morning by Class 78-C of Hora Island. Isabella was mounted onto a concrete column, hands staked to it above her head with a steel stake. A single Y shaped incision was made on her chest cavity, where all of her organs spilled out. Her bowels have been wrapped around the victim's head. Death was almost instant.**

**Haruna's Alibi: (When Haruna woke up in the morning, she tried to enter the cafeteria, only to find the doors were sealed shut. The doors didn't seem locked, but for some reason she couldn't get them open)**

**Time of Death: (Daisuke and Haruna were both up early. Neither of them heard the crime being committed)**

**Crimson Earring: (Belongs to Isabella. Shiro and Bethany were arguing over it. It is thought that Isabella dropped it during a scuffle with her killer)**

**Mackenzie's Discovery (Moved Table): (Mackenzie noticed one of the tables had been moved back. She theorizes that Isabella fought her aggressor and was pushed back into it, causing it to move and leave scuff marks on the ground)**

**Kanemoto, Ibb and Reukra's Account: (The accounts of 3 subjects and roomates of Hora Island. The three, along with Bethany and Haruna, stayed up until just past 3:05 AM. Reukra noted Haruna's odd behavior during the night, and tried to keep her at ease. It was thanks to his duplicate that the other girls awakened)**

**Eris Stone's Account: (The account of Eris Stone. She noted the times her roommates had fallen asleep. Felicks at 1:45, Mariana at 2:00 and everyone else shortly after. She didn't feel anyone stir during the night)**

**Miya Ainara's Account: (Miya Ainara remained awake until 5:00 AM, trying and failing to catch a Shiny Buneary. She noted everyone of her roommates had fallen asleep by the time she herself went to sleep. She was also listening to music, thus didn't hear anything coming from the cafeteria)**

**Riku Ito's Account: (The Account of the Ultimate Neko. He had remained awake all night. He attests to Isabella's departure from their shared room with Kate. He is also seemingly that last person to have seen her alive. Noted that she was playing with her .38 Special Revolver, shortly before leaving. She picked up the three remaining bullets and left the room)**

**Isabella's Missing Kidney: (One of Isabella's organs. Daisuke and Mariana noticed it was missing from the pile of spilled organs)**

**Not the Murder Weapon (Knife): (Daisuke noticed that the Y shaped incision in Isabella's chest cavity was jagged, as if cut with a serrated edge. The knife shows no signs of being the murder weapon)**

**Ashton's Strength (Cracked Cinder Blocks): (Haruna noticed the sheer strength of Ashton's Punch. Which was enough to crack cinder blocks. Dalila also notes how even when paralyzed, he had immense will power. Is capable of driving his fist through cinder blocks, but was holding back)**

**Eris Stone's Sound Proofing Theory: (Eris Stone believes that since they are in an SCP Foundation Site, that the walls are sound proofed. Miya notes that it is possible that the walls are thick enough to block sound)**

**Lars Weyer's Account: (Charlotte believes Lars knows more about Isabella's Murder than he lets on. Though unwilling, she believes him to at least be connected in some way shape or form, if his answers are anything to go by)**

**Odd Ritual: (When Charlotte found him, Lars was in the middle of preparing a ritual. He had drawn a Pentagram out of blood and made a salt circle around it. Before she left, Charlotte ruined his salt circle with water, prompting him to say "You are made of Bitch," to the retreating siren)**

**Jar of Blood: (While deciding what to do and reading their journals, Lars snuck back into the cafeteria. He procured a jar of blood from Isabella's body, retreating before anyone could notice)**

**Isabella's Heart: (Felicks noticed something was off with Isabella's Heart. Upon closer examination, Kate noticed two small holes in the organ, one being larger than the other)**

**Isabella's Missing Gun: (Diego noted something about Isabella, that being her missing fire arm. A Smith and Wesson Air Weight .38 Special. It is a 5 round revolver, and one that Isabella was carrying since awakening on the island. As it is a firearm, should someone figure out it's missing, the only suspect would be Daisuke, who is in possession of an FN 5/7 Handgun)**

_**xxx**_

**Location: Class Trial Courtroom **

**Time: 10:10 AM**

**Date: August 2****nd ****2020**

Daisuke remained silent as he watched his fellow subjects find their stands. He didn't know why, but his stand seemed to be almost directly in the middle, facing the throne where Jibo Momota would have sat. It was almost as if the man wanted him to face him, so he could see his taunting smirks. However, the man in question was nowhere to be seen, and he doubted he would actually show up to this trial. Once everyone had found their stands, Surasshakuma struck her cane on the edge of the throne, a loud, dull sound echoing through the courtroom.

**"**_**Let the first Hora Island Trial begin! Now, let me, your beautiful hostess explain the rules! First you'll-"**_

"I already know the rules. We have an allotted time to find whodunit. We'll have to present the evidence that we gathered, and hone in on a suspect. After which, we vote for someone and sentence them to death." Shiro said, cutting the bear off. The bear growled angrily, unfurling its claws as she glared at the gyaru.

**"**_**You will not cut me off! How dare you!"**_

"Can we get on with this? We've got other things to attend too," Syd said, crossing his arms in annoyance, as he leaned in his seat. Saino meanwhile reached for a clipboard and pen, her brilliant green eyes focusing on the subjects.

"You may have other things to do. I however wish to see these precedings. After all, I wish to see each subject in action,"

"Can we please just get this over with? I just want to put this matter to bed already!" Kanemoto snapped, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Do we need Isabella's picture here? I don't want to see her face right now. Not when all I can remember is that look of fear written on it." Riku said, tearing his eyes away from Isabella's picture. Like in the previous games, a pink cross had been painted over her picture.

**"****_Sorry bub, but she deserves to be here. Like my good old cousin Monokuma said. Just because they're dead doesn't mean they can't be in their own trial. Besides, one of you fucks murdered her. Why not taunt you all with her face during this entire shindig?"_**

"Whatever, let's just start this damn thing," Daisuke said, reaching for his journal.

**_xxx(Class Trial Start)xxx_**

"Alright, guess we'll start with the obvious. Isabella's was found this morning in the cafeteria. She was killed at 5:59 AM. Her hands were staked to a concrete column. Furthermore, her chest cavity had been opened. A Y shaped incision had been cut, and her organs had spilled out." Daisuke said.

"Indeed, not only that. However, even though her organs were pulled out of her body, I don't think its the cause of death," Kate said. Everyone looked at her shocked, a few people mumbling under their breath.

"God, I knew you were dead, but shit I had actual hopes for your brain to still be alive," Lars spat, holding back a chuckle.

"Does everything you say have to be a fucking insult?" Mariana spat, her wings fluttering angrily as she glanced to her right. The Demonologist looked over, giving her a wide grin.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult the zombie. You know, the bitch who took a bite out of Isabella while our backs were turned?"

"Who the hell told you about that?" Diego cried out.

"It was me, I'm sorry. I thought everyone deserved to know," Jose said, shying away slightly. The Latino shook his head, pinching his eyes.

"It's fine, let's just speak about what Kate means. Daisuke, Kate, Felicks and I were present in the cafeteria. Felicks noticed something odd with Isabella's heart,"

"Odd? Mind explaining this then?" Haruna asked, glancing at the Ultimate Fairy. The boy gulped, clutching the stand before him tightly.

"Um well...when I was looking at the organs, I noticed something was off about her heart. It had a hole in it. When I pointed it out to Kate, we examined it together. She believes this to be the true cause of death," he replied.

"Pfft, like hell," Ashton cut in, gaining everyone's attention. "I'm not sure if you are blind, but she was eviscerated. Not only that, she was strangled by her own bowels!"

"Just because her bowels were wrapped around her neck, doesn't mean they caused her death. A great number of things could have lead to that. If that's the case, then her heart having a hole in it could be a clue," Ibb said, cutting across the man's words.

"Well I say Isabella was killed from blood loss! I mean it makes sense right? All of it was on the floor!" Kanemoto said, tossing her two cents into the mix.

"This is getting us nowhere. We need to establish a proper cause of death. Just because it's in the Victim File, doesn't mean it's accurate. It could be a fabrication!" Miyaki said, earning nods from the others.

**"****_Then let's get this show on the road! It's time for the Non-Stop Debate!" _**Surasshakuma eagerly cried out, a grin on her face as she tapped her throne with her cane.

_**xxx(Non-Stop Debate)xxx**_

**_Truth Bullets: Isabella's Heart, Victim File #1, Crimson Earring, Haruna's Alibi, Isabella's Missing Gun._**

"So, the cause of death is _**Evisceration.**_ Isabella's body is sufficient proof of that." Eris said, looking around the room.

"Yes, but the Hole in her Heart is proof of something else. It leads me to believe that this is the _**True Cause of Death****.**_" Kate replied.

"Like hell it does. You could be lying! You and the Fairy are cooking this up together. _**Diego, and Daisuke **_are in on it too!" Ashton snapped, pointing his finger at the Zombie Nurse.

"Why the frick would they do that? Jeez, you got acorns in your head or what Groot?" Miya said, earning a glare from the treant.

"Just like I thought, this isn't gonna help at all," Charlotte mumbled under her breath. Daisuke narrowed his eyes, a pensive look on his face.

"_None of what's been said makes sense. However, there is one thing that could have caused that hole. It wasn't a slit either, like that of a knife wound. Two holes, one larger than the second. Only one thing would make a larger hole as it exits, a bullet! Guess I'll have to reveal this a bit early," _

_**Loaded Truth Bullet: Isabella's Missing Gun.**_

"So, the cause of death is _**Evisceration.**_ Isabella's body is sufficient proof of that." Eris said, looking around the room.

"Yes, but the Hole in her Heart is proof of something else. It leads me to believe that this is the _**True Cause of Death****.**_" Kate replied.

"I agree with that!" the storyteller said, grabbing everyone's attention.

**_Consent _**

"_Ahem_. Any reason why you would want to agree with the rotting corpse?" Ashton asked, crossing his arms as he glared at the man.

"Oye hombre, would you stop being so disrespectful? Goddammit man," Jose spat, only to be ignored by the treant. Daisuke cleared his throat, looking around the room.

"I agree with Kate for one sole reason. And that is Isabella's Missing Gun. No one mentioned it during the investigation. In fact, if Diego hadn't spoken to me about it, I likely wouldn't have remembered it,"

"I see, so we're revealing that off the bat then?" the Latino asked. Upon earning a nod from the boy, Diego continued. "Yes, as Daisuke stated before. Isabella's gun is missing. In fact, I couldn't find it at all."

"Alright, so her gun is missing. Big whoop. That probably means someone scooped it up and kept it for themselves. Hell, I would." Shiro said firmly.

"I-I don't like guns. I would never touch one unless someone taught me how to use it first," Mackenzie added.

"I agree with you. Guns lead to nothing but violence, I've never liked guns. They bring back some bad memories,"

"Memories of Juarez and how you were chased by Immigration?" Ashton asked, a sneer on his face. Mariana pulled her first back, slamming it hard into the treant's chest. While normally he wouldn't have felt something like that, the man visibly cringed, a sharp exhale filling the room.

"Keep talking shit, and the next one will be at half strength," the manakete cried out.

"Hmm, Mariana is showing superior strength. By her claim that wasn't even half strength. I do wonder how strong she'd be as a full dragon," Saino mumbled, as she wrote something down in her clipboard. "Yes Rathai, I do believe we have something of substance for us to work with,"

"Uh, who is she talking too?" Syd said, directing his question to Surasshakuma, who simply shrugged.

**"****_Hell if I know, I just met her! Hyuk hyuk hyuk~" _**

"Can everyone just settle down? Daisuke has brought up a very important thing!" Miyaki cried, holding her hand up. Everyone quieted down, causing her to sigh. "Thank you. Now, if Kate and Felicks saw Isabella's heart having a hole in it. Then it's possible that Isabella was shot first,"

"So, you're saying that Bella was shot by her own gun?" Riku asked.

"Pfft, that's rich. Here lies Isabella Swan, beloved friend, shot and killed by her own gun!"

"Lars, shut your goddamned mouth! If you aren't gonna help during the trial then fuck off. Hell, I could care less if you left the room right now." Charlotte screeched, her pupils turned into thin slits in her anger. The demonologist rolled his eyes.

"Moving on, it makes sense that the gun was used against her. For one, the firearm itself is missing. Second, the hole in her heart is roughly the size of a .38 caliber bullet. The hole in the back is bigger than the one in the front. A detail that is present in all gunshot rounds," Kate noted.

"I agree with Miss Zombie! I've seen some messed up crap in my tenture as an Investigator. A sniper rifle's bullet usually leaves a huge hole in the back of the head. So going by her logic, Bella was definitely shot at!" Miya added.

"Alright, but that doesn't explain why she has her guts spilled onto the ground. Why her intestines are wrapped around her head." Bethany said, bowing her head. "It must have been so painful. If she was truly shot, then she must have felt her life slowly ending. I do hope Atua managed to reach her before she fell to the darkness,"

"Um...I think I have a theory." Reukra said.

"Alright, let's hear it kiddo. Might as well since we've got nothing else at the moment," Daisuke replied, giving the boy a smile. Reukra stopped slouching, standing firmly at his podium.

"Well...if Isabella's heart has a gunshot through it. That means she was shot in the center of the chest. The killer probably wanted to throw us all off. So we didn't hone in on the gunshot. That means, that the reason they cut Isabella open, was to hide the bullet hole,"

"Whoa! That makes a lot of sense! What if the reason why the Y incision is jagged, is because the flay knife was used to cut her open?" Nyx pointed out. She turned her journal to everyone, which showed an image of the knife, drawn out in ink. "See, this knife is kind of small now that I think about it,"

"That's because it's a flay knife," Riku said. Everyone turned their attention to the neko. "It's a knife that's meant to be used with fish. Its a thin bladed, curved knife. My mom taught me how to fillet salmon when my dad brought them from his trips. They're not the best cutting tools."

"The killer must have used the bullet hole to start the incision. Since the flay knife isn't for cutting, they had a hard time. They probably hit the rib cage, and had to break her ribs just to open the chest cavity." Daisuke said, a cringe on his face.

"C-can we not talk about this? I f-feel like throwing up," Mackenzie said, looking a little green as she spoke.

"Apologies Mackenzie, I should have prepared some tea before hand. Perhaps this would have helped us relax a bit," Haruna said, a look of disappointment on her face. Diego placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile.

"It's alright Haruna. No need to be disappointed, I'm sure we'll use that tea later on."

"Hmm ...so we established the killer shot Isabella. Then they used the knife to cut her open. Why did they wrap her guts around her head then?" Eris said.

"Probably to throw us off. It's quite an ingenious tactic on the killer's part. This reminds me of a case file that Miss Kobayashi solved! It was her first one too. You see, there was this guy who was found dead in the Suicide Forest, with a rope next to him. Everyone assumed that he had killed himself. But he was in fact, strangled!" Miya said, earning odd looks from the girl.

"Okay, and this pertains to our situation why?" Ashton asked.

"Because dummy! What happened in that case is happening here. Bella was killed with a gun. The evisceration was a red herring. So that means that we don't have to worry about her guts at all! We need to focus on what lead to her being shot!" she said happily. She snapped her fingers, flipping her badge in the air before holding it out to everyone. "Gosh-darn it I'm good!"

"The Cause of Death being a red herring makes sense. Can either of you three confirm this for us?" Daisuke asked, glancing at Syd, Saino, and Surasshakuma.

"I cannot confirm anything, I'm afraid. I'm not in charge of that part of the killing game." Saino quickly replied, going back to her clipboard.

**"****_Same here! I wasn't told shit about this case. The old man just told me to grab my hat and cane and he sent me on my way! What about you Syd?"_**

The man sighed, giving the bear a nod. "Yes, I can confirm this. I was in charge of reviewing the tapes. The Victim File is a red herring. Doctor Momota wanted to see if you all could cooperate and figure it out." he chuckled, a smile on his face. "He's on the hunt for the MVP as we speak. Which one of you will it be, I wonder?"

"Seems like our buddy Momota has other plans for this trial. Regardless of that, we have to move on." Mariana said.

"Hmm ...you know I've been thinking. If the gunshot was what truly killed Bella, then who had the knife?" Miyaki asked. She picked at one of the stitches on her wrist, looking at the others. "It's likely that the one who took the knife, is the killer."

"That's a good assumption. We just have to figure out who took the knife," Jose said, earning a giggle from Shiro.

"Why, it's so easy! The one who stole the knife was Lars, duh!"

"I'm sorry?" the man in question asked, turning to face the gyaru.

"Well it makes sense right? Almost everyone here has an alibi." she paused, muffling a giggle with her hand. "Everyone, except for you~"

"She makes a good point! You did everything you could to seclude yourself from us!"

"Shut up you twink! Don't you dare think you can threaten me!" Lars said, causing Felicks to shy back, almost hiding behind Haruna.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to single you out."

"He's not wrong. I'd like to see you talk yourself out of this one, you smarmy prick," Ashton said, an almost excited look on his face.

"I do hope you've made peace with yourself. I doubt Atua will welcome you into his paradise if you are responsible for this." the Ultimate Pele said, her grip on the stand increasing. Dark smoke rose from the wood as it slowly began to burn. "Ah...apologies, I didn't know I was burning the stand," she said sheepishly.

"Ugh...you guys are idiots. I am not responsible of this crime. The harlot with the gills can attest to that,"

"Excuse me? Who are you calling a harlot?!" Charlotte cried out.

"You sweetheart, I mean look at you. You look _atrocious _in that get up. Look at that top, it's hardly one. It's just a bra, you are just begging for something horrible to happen to you. You and your jiggly bits,"

"Ugh ...you are so fucking disgusting. I wish Rin was here, I know for a fact she'd kick your smarmy ass into next week! Hell, I might just call Salamence out to do it for me!" Kanemoto threatened, grabbing one of her Pokeballs. Lars flipped her off, not at all frightened by the trainer.

"You can stop right there, you bellend. You say that she's the one who can vouch for you, yet here you are insulting her? How the hell do you expect her to actually help you?" Eris asked.

"Because she has the answer. When you came looking for me earlier, what did you see me doing?"

"You were muttering things and flipping through that stupid book of yours," Charlotte replied.

"Precisely, what else did you see?"

"That weird salt circle? The hell does that have to do with this?" the siren asked. Lars ignored her, folding his arms over his chest.

"That salt circle took me all night to make. I took all the salt from the kitchen and left to that office. That took the entire night to craft. In fact, I'm only awake right now because of the BlueRam I inhaled this morning," he said.

"Hmm ...what I gathered from this alibi, is something that you could have done at any time. Meaning you could have gotten the salt during the investigation. Done the circle, and then claimed you did it the night before," Shiro said.

"Shiro, you may insult me, but do not insult my intelligence. Salt circles are hard to craft. They are used to keep monstrous demons and apparitions at bay. If I messed that circle up, even a tiny bit, that would cause me my death. Do you actually think I would half-ass it?"

"Heh, maybe. But who knows? You might actually be lying! In fact, I'm 100% sure that you are the one responsible for this. Not only that, you just admitted to going to the kitchen to take the salt! This has Lars Weyer written all over it!" Reukra, or rather one of his duplicates exclaimed, pointing a finger at the man.

"P-please! We have to focus on finding Isabella's killer. Let's not start arguing now!" Seisha said, though his voice was drowned by the yelling.

"What do you think Charlotte? Got anything to say?" Daisuke asked, glancing at the pinkette. She flipped through her notes, a pensive look on her face.

"I think I might have something. But we should discuss this, maybe we'll get something that way," she said, earning a nod from the storyteller.

_**xxx(Non-Stop Debate)xxx**_

**_Truth Bullets: Time of Death, Jar of Blood(Isabella's), Odd Ritual, Ashton's Strength, Crimson Earring, Lars Weyer's Account._**

"Lars is definitely the **_Killer."_** Miyaki began, looking at the man. "He was all _**Alone**_ during the night!"

"Not to mention, by his own admission. He said he was in the _**Kitchen**_**_. _**So that means he was in the _**Cafeteria **_as well." Haruna said. "He could feasibly commit this crime."

"Except I **_Didn't_****,**" Lars said, a confident look on his face.

"But how do we know that? Could you be lying perhaps?" Jose asked.

"I think he is lying. What other reason would he have to be alone? He _**Planned to Kill**_**. **When he ran into **_Isabella_** in the cafeteria, he ended up fighting her! He took her gun, shot her and killed her!" Riku cried out.

"Seems good to me. Surasshakuma, start the vote, we've got ourselves a murderer to execute!" Ashton said happily.

**"**_**If you say so!" **_the bear happily agreed.

"_Something isn't adding up. If Lars did stay up all night crafting that Salt Circle, then he couldn't have been Isabella's killer. He would have blood all over his clothes. He doesn't have a change of clothes on him. Ugh...I can't believe I'm actually helping that douche bag."_

_**Lars' Clean Clothes was added to your Truth Bullets**_

**_Loaded Truth Bullet: Lars' Clean Clothes_**

"Lars is definitely the **_Killer_****-"**

"No, that's wrong!" Charlotte cried, cutting the circus performer off.

_**Break**_

"How am I wrong Charlie? He was alone all night, wasn't he? Theoretically, he could have done it," the blonde girl replied. Charlotte gave her a nod.

"Yes, theoretically he could have. But he didn't, and here's why. The killer did, in fact, try to hide the bullet hole, they had a reason to cut Isabella open, correct?"

"Yes, we established that already. What is the point you are getting at?" Ibb asked.

"Well, I'm no professional. But if you cut a person open, I'd assume it's a very messy job. So, why is Lars still wearing the same outfit he wore yesterday?" Charlotte asked.

"Uh, because it's the only one I got? Sheesh, here I thought sirens were supposed to be intelligent."

"I'm trying to help you shit head. Fuck me..." the pinkette spat with a growl. Her stand creaked from how hard she gripped it.

"Big sis makes a point. If Isabella was cut open, then Lars would have been soaked with blood. Meaning he'd have to ditch his clothes. None of us have another change of clothes. So that means he's innocent." Mackenzie said.

"I see ...well I jumped to conclusions. Sorry everyone, it completely slipped my mind," Miyaki said, an embarrassed flush on her cheeks.

"No one blames you for jumping to conclusions. In fact, suspects with no alibis are usually kept on the prime suspect list for long periods of time. They're usually the ones who are responsible for the crime. In some way shape or form at least," the Missing Persons Investigator said.

"Alright, back to square one then. Looks like we're spinning around in circles." Kanemoto said, scratching the back of her neck.

"Should we check the evidence again? We might find something we missed!" Seisha said, holding out his journal. Haruna cleared her throat, looking back at Lars.

"You all might be ready to move on, but I am not. I do not believe the excuse of clean clothes extirpates him from this crime. I still believe Lars Weyer is the killer," she said firmly. Lars quirked a brow, tilting his head a bit.

"Oh? And how did I do it miss? Did I take my clothes off perhaps? Are you going to come over here and strip me? Who knows? I might be covered in copious amounts of blood and onion juice!"

"That's disgusting!" Dalila cried out. "Who the hell drinks onion juice?"

"I honestly thought you were gonna talk about the blood," Jose said softly.

"Onion Juice is gross! Neither I, nor Mr. Bitey like it!" Seisha cried, a grimace on his face as he clutched his favorite plush. Haruna shook her head, regaining her focus. Her eyes stared across the room, right at the Ultimate Demonologist, who bore a sneer upon his face.

"It was indeed Lars that did it. Charlotte wasn't the only one who saw you in that office. I myself decided to venture there in search of Lars. One thing that Charlotte failed to mention was his use of human blood in his little ritual,"

"You saw that?" the siren asked. Haruna nodded silently. "I didn't even hear you. Was this before or after I spoke to him,"

"During your chat with him. I may be the Ultimate Hostess, but my years working on a cruise ship taught me some skills. I can be quite stealthy when I need to be," she said. She took a shaky breath, glancing back at the Demonologist, a nervous look on her face. "You used Isabella's blood in that circle. A lot of it, meaning you must have been the one who cut her open,"

"Please, you are using that as your proof?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, I am. So if you would be so kind as to provide us with details, that would be lovely,"

"Details for what?" Reukra asked curiously.

"I think she means, details on how he got her blood. I think that's a good point to start. So how did you get it?" Daisuke asked.

"When you were all bitching about the journals, rules and all that bullshit. I slipped in, grabbed a jar from the kitchen, and got the blood. Simple as that,"

"I'd like to object! I was standing next to the doors, and I didn't notice you slip by. If that was truly Isabella's blood, then how did you get that jar?" Nyx said firmly, glaring at the man.

"She raises a good point. Slipping by one or two of us is realistic, but all 22 of us? We were crowding the corridor. Hell Seisha alone is as large as two people. There is no way you got past him, and Ashton slipped into the cafeteria and grabbed that blood. So answer our questions carefully, because as of now, you are our prime suspect!" Riku spat, his tail flicking back and forth in anger.

"I had hope that you were innocent Lars. I can't believe you actually dipped your hand into the cauldron." the Ultimate Dryad said, a look of sheer sadness on her face.

"Everybody be quiet!" Mackenzie suddenly cried, causing everyone to stop talking. All eyes were on the Ultimate Painter, who had a look of sheer anger on her face. "I'm so sick and tired of all the yelling! This is driving me insane! I'm sick to my stomach, hungry as hell and my head is killing me! So can you please just stop the fucking screaming?!"

"Wow ...that little blonde has some pipes on her," Syd said sarcastically.

**_"_**_**I'll say, her voice puts my dulcet tone to shame. What about you Saino? Get enough data on her yet?" **_Surasshakuma asked. The woman remained silent, still scribbling on her clipboard. The animatronic bear sighed.

"Any reason why you decided to scream?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"I'm just...tired, okay? Not only that but I noticed something. Lars had to have gotten the blood from somewhere else," she said. She gauged everyone's reactions before continuing. "As Riku said, there's no way Lars could have slipped by all of us. And he couldn't have gotten it before 9. I mean, the doors were sealed shut right?"

"Hmm ...Kenzie raises a good point. I can attest to those doors being shut." the hostess said.

"So, where did you get the blood homes? It clearly isn't Isabella's blood. You must be lying through your teeth,"

Lars let out a chuckle, which turned into a full-blown laugh. The remaining 22 subjects watched in annoyance as the young man shook with mirth. Dull sounds echoed through the chamber as he struck the stand with his fist. He flicked away a tear with his finger, taking a breath of air.

"Ah ...shit, I haven't laughed like that in a long time. Hell, the last time I laughed was when I read one of Japoka's theories!" he paused, another short titter coursing through him. "Man, I can't believe I kept it up this long,"

"This isn't funny you asshole!" Ashton cried.

"Seriously, how can you be happy go lucky right now? Someone fucking died, yet here you are laughing practically in her face!" Miyaki cried angrily.

"How would you feel if someone laughed at your death? Huh?" Felicks added, making the demonologist look at him.

"Kid, I'm not gonna die. I am too _perfect _to die. Second, it isn't my damn fault you all are idiots!" he said, rolling back his sleeve. He held up his arm, showing off a white bandage. "That jar of blood, it wasn't Isabella's, it was my own blood the whole time! You two dumb shits thought it was Isabella's blood the whole time! Ha!"

Mariana let out an angry growl, grabbing a hold of the demonologist's jacket. She pulled her hand back, slapping him hard across the face. He sputtered in confusion, only to take a full punch to the side of the face. His body crumpled to the ground as he fell unconscious. She hissed at him, her dragon stone glowing a brilliant blue in color.

"Mariana!" Kate cried out, causing the manakete to look up. She hissed at her, a gasp leaving her lips afterward.

"I'm ...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that!"

"Oh please, I'm happy that you did. This information will be added to your subject files," Saino said, an almost excited look on her face. Kate stood back up, turning to the others.

"I've checked Lars' wrist, he has stitches on it. Badly done at that. He's telling the truth, it seems he slit his own wrist and filled that jar with blood,"

"Well, that answers that I guess. Shit, that's one less thing to go by. We're running out of options here," Daisuke said, looking through his notes.

There has to be something, anything. Are you missing something Dais? Maybe something that you didn't think was relevant at the time?" Diego asked, causing the man to shake his head.

"Sorry man, I can't think of shit. We've covered everything that's relevant."

"Goddamn it! This shit is pissing me the fuck off!" Reukra, or rather, one of his copies cried out. The boy let out a yelp, his copy disappearing before he could react. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that!"

"It's fine kid, that's on everyone's minds at this rate," Jose said, crossing his arms. "We might as well give up."

Daisuke was about to speak when a loud slam filled the room. His cerulean blue eyes glanced at the Ultimate Neko, who had pounded the stand with his fists. His ears were flattened against his head, hair falling around his eyes.

"How could you say that? Isabella was our friend! Do you mean to tell me you just wanna give up on finding her killer? To bring that fucker to justice for his crime?"

"Why don't you produce some evidence then Rika? Since you clearly think you can solve this fucking case. Oh wait, you can't. So why don't you shut your fucking mouth, you look better that way," Ashton snapped. Dalila sighed angrily, pushing away from her stand. She closed the distance between herself and the neko, pulling him into a hug.

"Don't you worry Riku, we'll find her killer in no time. I know you are hurt, because she was your friend. You were likely the last one to see her alive. So that's why it's hitting you this hard, but I promise...we'll find the one responsible."

"T-thank you L-Lila. It just...sucks so bad, I'm so useless. I should have stopped her from leaving. Stopped her from playing with her gun, I should have followed her! Instead, all I did was lay in bed staring at the ceiling!"

"Excuse me, Surasshakuma, do you think we could take a break? If we keep breaking our heads, I doubt we'll get to the answer." Eris asked, earning a laugh from the red and blue bear.

**"****_What the hell do you fuck ups think this is? This is a trial! T-R-I-A-L! No fucking way are we taking a break. We run right through to the end, like a train on tracks!"_**

"The Snake-Lady has a point! I'm an investigator you know, and during trials we have recess! It allows us to look over case files, evidence and if need be, take a massive dump! So by order of the court, this trial is now in recess~!" Miya said excitedly, throwing her small fist into the air, giving the others a wink. Eris glared at the girl, her snakes hissing loudly.

**"**_**No, it isn't! I was left in charge of this Court Room. Which means we are not in-"**_

"Knock yourselves out. I gotta take a piss anyway, we'll be back in 15 minutes. Terazawa, keep an eye on them would you?" Syd said, standing up from his seat.

"I'm not a grade school teacher. I too require the restroom, Surasshakuma will keep an eye on them until we return. Until then, we bid you farewell," the woman said, as she hastily stood from her seat. She followed Syd out of the class trial courtroom, both entering another elevator. Everyone let out a collective sigh, glad to be free of the trial for the moment.

**"**_**Goddamn it! You mother fuckers! I swear to Atua I'm going to destroy you all!" **_Surasshakuma cried out, shaking her fist in anger. She paused for a moment, a tick mark appearing on her forehead. _**"**_**_Ah great, now you got me saying it!" _**she said, glaring daggers at Bethany.

"I apologize, but Atua's grace shines on all of us. Even sick, twisted Artificial Bears such as yourself. Perhaps even someone like you could get into his graces,"

**"**_**Hell no! The only thing I worship is despair! So fuck you, fuck Atua, fuck your island and fuck your sister! All you need to die!" **_

"What ...what did you just say about my sister?" the Ultimate Pele asked. Her skin slowly started glowing red, the fury in her eyes looking unquenchable.

"Hit the deck! She's about to blow!" Daisuke shouted, quickly jumping to the floor. Everyone did the same, just as the young Volcano Goddess blew her top off.

**_xxx(Class Trial: Recess)xxx_**

_**End of Act 3**_

_**Surviving Test Subjects: 23 (For Now: Kek)**_

**AN: Another day, another chapter! I'm so happy that this one is done. Because now I can take a break for the next two fucking days! Yay me!**

**But in all seriousness, this trial was a blast to write. I finally get to show all of the characters in the Trial setting. Though I will admit, writing 23 characters is a bit complex at times. I dunno how I did it with Morning Hope Academy. Since it's been a long time since I wrote a huge trial like that, I kind of lost confidence in myself. Not to mention, I misplaced my list for a few hours so I couldn't check off who had spoken and who hadn't, so that's why some characters have more lines than others. I promise to fix that in the future, of course, this is the first half so I guess I just needed a cut-off point.**

**Now, as another announcement. After the first Class Trial is over, I will follow in my tradition of writing an Omake Chapter! But now that I'm writing for LoD, I get to make Omakes with characters from this AU.**

**No longer shall I have to mention characters or allude to them in my own AU! Now I can use them with no inhibitions! Of course, I'm not planning anything lewd with them you fucks. So get your minds, and your dicks/vaginas, out of the gutter! Never thought I'd had to say that...hehe. Not like I have the best track record with the lewdness.**

**Regardless of that, I'll do my best on this omake. Though I will make sure not to write any stories revolving around malls. I feel like if I do that, someone will hunt me down. The last thing I want is a shotgun aimed at the back of my head, hehe.**

**Anyway, I don't have anything else to say. For this story anyway. I'd like to mention Crit Fail's story, Kuma-Kuma Land for a bit. This story is finally coming to a close. It's been awhile since it's started and man hasn't been a ride. I remember reading it back when it had like 14 chapters. I had just finished Sea of Tranquility, which was being written, alongside the 4 chapters of House of Horrors at the time. It's weird to see this story come to a close, but it's also bitter sweet. Another titan on the giant Extended Universe that is Legacy of Despair.**

**So, for now, I'll say, Kuma-Kuma Land, thanks for the memories. Some were good, some were bad, but all of them were awesome. So even though you are ending, I'll be back to reread you soon. It isn't goodbye, just so long. I eagerly await the final chapter, and you should too!**

**Shout out to JCW18, Trust Me, and Solrac XD for their work with the Mall AU, Legacy Mall. Please check it out, it's fucking hilarious. I'm sure you'll all love it if you haven't read it yet. Shout out to my main man, Crit Fail, for once again allowing this story to happen. Shout out to PettyPunk, my Queen and co-conspirator for Oasis. Shoutout to Bellatrixshine for finally joining Discord lol. Just, shout outs for everyone I guess! Haha, I dunno but I'm really happy today lol. **

**With this, I bid you all adieu. But before I go...I have to say one thing, this isn't mandatory or anything but I'm helping my cousin out with something and I figured I'd ask.**

**What is your favorite Letter of the Alphabet? Leave it down in the reviews, or DM me on Discord, or ignore it if you want. Have a good day!  
**


	12. C1 Act 4: The Class Trial Finale

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 1 Act 4

The First Class Trial Finale

_**xxx(Evidence)xxx**_

**Victim Name: Isabella Swan  
**

**Time of Death: 5:59 AM**

**Cause of Death: Evisceration**

**The Victim was found at 9:00 AM this morning by Class 78-C of Hora Island. Isabella was mounted onto a concrete column, hands staked to it above her head with a steel stake. A single Y shaped incision was made on her chest cavity, where all of her organs spilled out. Her bowels have been wrapped around the victim's head. Death was almost instant.**

**Haruna's Alibi: (When Haruna woke up in the morning, she tried to enter the cafeteria, only to find the doors were sealed shut. The doors didn't seem locked, but for some reason she couldn't get them open)**

**Time of Death: (Daisuke and Haruna were both up early. Neither of them heard the crime being committed)**

**Crimson Earring: (Belongs to Isabella. Shiro and Bethany were arguing over it. It is thought that Isabella dropped it during a scuffle with her killer)**

**Mackenzie's Discovery (Moved Table): (Mackenzie noticed one of the tables had been moved back. She theorizes that Isabella fought her aggressor and was pushed back into it, causing it to move and leave scuff marks on the ground)**

**Kanemoto, Ibb and Reukra's Account: (The accounts of 3 subjects and roomates of Hora Island. The three, along with Bethany and Haruna, stayed up until just past 3:05 AM. Reukra noted Haruna's odd behavior during the night, and tried to keep her at ease. It was thanks to his duplicate that the other girls awakened)**

**Eris Stone's Account: (The account of Eris Stone. She noted the times her roommates had fallen asleep. Felicks at 1:45, Mariana at 2:00 and everyone else shortly after. She didn't feel anyone stir during the night)**

**Miya Ainara's Account: (Miya Ainara remained awake until 5:00 AM, trying and failing to catch a Shiny Buneary. She noted everyone of her roommates had fallen asleep by the time she herself went to sleep. She was also listening to music, thus didn't hear anything coming from the cafeteria)**

**Riku Ito's Account: (The Account of the Ultimate Neko. He had remained awake all night. He attests to Isabella's departure from their shared room with Kate. He is also seemingly that last person to have seen her alive. Noted that she was playing with her .38 Special Revolver, shortly before leaving. She picked up the three remaining bullets and left the room)**

**Isabella's Missing Kidney: (One of Isabella's organs. Daisuke and Mariana noticed it was missing from the pile of spilled organs)**

**Not the Murder Weapon (Knife): (Daisuke noticed that the Y shaped incision in Isabella's chest cavity was jagged, as if cut with a serrated edge. The knife shows no signs of being the murder weapon)**

**Ashton's Strength (Cracked Cinder Blocks): (Haruna noticed the sheer strength of Ashton's Punch. Which was enough to crack cinder blocks. Dalila also notes how even when paralyzed, he had immense will power. Is capable of driving his fist through cinder blocks, but was holding back)**

**Eris Stone's Sound Proofing Theory: (Eris Stone believes that since they are in an SCP Foundation Site, that the walls are sound proofed. Miya notes that it is possible that the walls are thick enough to block sound)**

**Lars Weyer's Account: (Charlotte believes Lars knows more about Isabella's Murder than he lets on. Though unwilling, she believes him to at least be connected in some way shape or form, if his answers are anything to go by)**

**Odd Ritual: (When Charlotte found him, Lars was in the middle of preparing a ritual. He had drawn a Pentagram out of blood and made a salt circle around it. Before she left, Charlotte ruined his salt circle with water, prompting him to say "You are made of Bitch," to the retreating siren)**

**Jar of Blood: (While deciding what to do and reading their journals, Lars snuck back into the cafeteria. He procured a jar of blood from Isabella's body, retreating before anyone could notice)**

**Isabella's Heart: (Felicks noticed something was off with Isabella's Heart. Upon closer examination, Kate noticed two small holes in the organ, one being larger than the other)**

**Isabella's Missing Gun: (Diego noted something about Isabella, that being her missing fire arm. A Smith and Wesson Air Weight .38 Special. It is a 5 round revolver, and one that Isabella was carrying since awakening on the island. As it is a firearm, should someone figure out it's missing, the only suspect would be Daisuke, who is in possession of an FN 5/7 Handgun)**

**Lars' Clean Clothes: (Charlotte took notice of Lars' clean clothes during the trial. Due to this, she was able to conclude he wasn't involved in Isabella's murder. She still thinks he's a dick though)**

_**xxx**_

**Location: Class Trial Courtroom **

**Time: 10:55 AM**

**Date: August 2****nd ****2020**

"You think you can get away with insulting my god? My island? _My sister?_" Bethany snapped, flames billowing around her. Her eyes had gone completely crimson in anger, her hair whipping around wildly. "I'm going to turn you to ash! You piece of amphibian shit!"

Before the Ultimate Pele could react, something collided with her forehead, a loud hiss filling the room. The young woman stood gobsmacked, as she felt her body heat return to normal. She felt her forehead, finding it was wet, the water slowly evaporating.

"Holy shit! I can't believe that worked!" Kanemoto suddenly said. Daisuke slowly rose from the floor, glancing at the Pokemon trainer who was still clutching one of the spheres in her hand.

"Grenin~" a soft voice cried, slowly before disappearing into the sphere. Bethany remained silent for a moment, before glancing back at the red and blue bear.

"You've just bought yourself some time. I promised myself I would spread Atua's message of love and kindness throughout our blind world. And I will ensure you receive punishment for what you've done here today,"

**"**_**Punishment? Moi? Mademoiselle you assume I'd just stand here and take your punishment. Alas that is not what the MC of this little game is here for! No no no! If you even dare put a claw on me, I will kill you! This is not a petty threat either, so go ahead and try it!" **_Surasshakuma cried out, pointing her cane at the Pele. She as about to reply when she felt someone grab a hold of her wrist. She glared at the woman to her right, Eris Stone, who's snakes seemed rather calm at this moment. The Gorgon had her eyes closed, as to avoid direct eye contact with her.

"Listen, I get that you are angry. But taking it out on the circus reject isn't going to bring your sister back. It sucks that she's dead, but you should remember, she was the one who decided to kill in that game. Don't let her petty insults get to you, you'll get your revenge soon enough, on the man behind this all," she said. The Pele nodded, taking a deep breath through her nose.

"You are correct, my apologies everyone. I nearly caused our deaths with my little outburst." she said, glancing at the floor. She noticed the ground was completely singed. Her stand and the ones nearby were singed and black, and in the case of her stand, completely turned to ash. The smell of burning wood drifted through the court room.

"Well, now what? We got ourselves a recess but...what exactly are we gonna do with it?" Charlotte asked, glancing at the others.

"We need to figure out which one of us killed her, simple as that." Miyaki said. Several pairs of eyes shifted to her, causing her to frown. "What? Is something the matter?"

"You still assume one of us did it?" Riku asked, sounding rather angry. The circus performer sighed, giving him a nod.

"I do. I may have missed the entirety of my previous killing game. It went on without me, and people died. My only regret is letting myself die first. So yes, I think one of us did it. There's no use sugar coating it."

"Tch, what really bothers me is that this fucking cunt thinks one of us did it. She shouldn't have a say in shit, she got her throat cut in the last game she was in!" Ashton snapped, glaring at the blonde.

"Shut your fucking mouth asshat. Weren't you the one asking Syd about a stab wound earlier? You have no say in the matter," Mariana replied, glaring at the treant. He crossed his arms, mumbling a swear as he looked away from the manakete.

"Please! We shouldn't keep arguing like this. I know Miss Isabella wouldn't want us to point fingers at each other!" Seisha cried out.

"Yes, nothing will come out of petty bickering. We should just find the facts and hone in on the subject we believe responsible. As we have been discussing," Ibb said firmly, hoping to calm the others down.

"Something smells fishy here," Daisuke said, as he placed a hand on his chin.

"S-sorry. My hands got a bit wet when I was pouring water into my gills." the Ultimate Siren said, a flush on her cheeks. His brows furrowed, as he shook his head.

"No, Charlotte that was a metaphor. What I mean to say is...something here isn't adding up. I've been reviewing the evidence here. Don't you all think it's weird that nothing substantial stands out?"

"I've been wondering the same thing. We have an odd process of filtering evidence when searching for missing people. Usually, we track down the victim's last known whereabouts. After that, we take some time to review camera footage if available, and paint an idea of where they had come from, and where they might have been going," Miya said, snapping her book closed. "I don't see a path. Riku said she left early, but aside from that, I can't exactly connect what lead her to end up in the cafeteria. I'm stumped!"

"Maybe you should just stick to your area of expertise then. Unless you can solve the path the killer took after he left the cafeteria," Shiro said jokingly. Mackenzie let out a gasp, as if she had an epiphany.

"The doors were sealed shut right? But they weren't locked with anything. What if someone was holding them from the inside while Haruna was trying to open them?" she asked curiously.

"You mean to tell me, the killer was in the cafeteria when Haruna was trying to open the door? At 8 in the morning?" Ibb asked curiously. Mackenzie nodded, reaching into her bag for Daisuke's story book. She flipped through the pages until she got to the back.

"Right here, I drew this while we were in the cafeteria. It's an exact replica of where everything stands," she said, showing the sketch to everyone. "The center column was used to stake Isabella. It's flanked by tables on the left and right, with the leftmost and rightmost columns following suit. The back features barred windows, and the very right is the kitchen entrance. However there's something else I noticed while sketching this!" she said. She flipped the page, showing an accurate sketch of the ceiling, just above the entrance doors.

"Is that a ventilation shaft?" Dalila asked curiously. Daisuke snapped his fingers, a look of realization on his face.

"Of course! This brings something new into perspective! If the killer was in the cafeteria at 8 AM, then that would explain why Haruna couldn't get in. They held the doors long enough to assume she couldn't open them. Then they left!"

"Haru, how long did you stay in front of the doors before we met up at 9?" Reukra asked. The Hostess closed her eyes for a moment, tapping her fingers against her hip.

"I tried to gain entree at 8 am, like previously discussed. I must have remained there for at least 15 minutes. I took my leave shortly there after, only to return moments before you all did. In fact, the second time I went there, I didn't bother testing the doors. I had my hand on the handle when you all arrived,"

"That clinches it then. The killer hid in the cafeteria until Haruna came knocking. That throws the time of death into irrelevance. We had assumed they had just left and barred the doors. That also throws out Lars' previous alibi," Eris added, glancing at the stand where the unconscious Demonologist lay, sprawled over it.

"We said he was most likely innocent right? Because he didn't have blood on his clothes?" Felicks asked.

"Mhmm...that's right. But with this new evidence, he could have likely done it. He would have shot Isabella, taken his clothes off, opened her up and-" Diego paused, a scowl appearing on his face. "No that doesn't work. I mean, he's pretty short. How the hell would he stake her to the column?"

"Fuck! It seems like every thing we come up with, immediately gets sent down the crapper!" Mariana snapped angrily.

"Um...I have a more morbid idea," Kate said, swallowing the lump in her throat. Before she could continue, Syd and Saino returned, taking their seats. The man in question had a bottle of beer in his hands, taking a sip of it as he sat down.

"Well, you resumed the case without us. Guess the recess was for us and not you,"

"Wait! I still need to pee!" Miya said.**  
**

**_"_****_Too bad kiddo! You'll have to hold it in, hyuk hyuk hyuk! Maybe you should start wearing pull-ups to all the class trials!" _**

"This class trial is in session, continue onward." Saino said, almost emotionless as she returned to her clipboard. "Yes Aurora, I'm certain she will be just as beautiful as we imagine,"

**_xxx(Class Trial: Restart)xxx_**

"Anyway, Kate what were you going to say?" Nyx asked curiously, turning her attention to the Zombie nurse. She rubbed the back of her neck, tousling her hair a bit.

"Um well...I did notice something that no one else did. Isabella's intestines were uh...cut a bit short,"

"What exactly do mean by that?" Jose asked. Kate let out a giggle, playfully snapping her teeth.

"You mean to tell me you ate her guts? That's gross!" Shiro cried.

"No, what I mean is...her intestines were cut short. Only a portion of the bowels were wrapped around her neck. What do you think happened with the rest of it?"

"Hmm..." Daisuke hummed quietly. His eyes widened a bit. "Are you saying, someone used her bowels to bar the doors?"

"It would explain why the doors seemed unlocked yet barred at the same time," Charlotte said.

"That's so horrible! Not only was she shot and killed, she was gutted and then those organs were used to do that? How could they do that to someone?" Felicks cried out, a look of abhorrent shock on his face.

"What of the blood?" Haruna asked, turning to the storyteller. "If her bowels were indeed used to shut the doors, shouldn't there be blood on the ground?"

"She makes a good point actually, that is unless the killer washed out the intestines." Nyx added.

"That sounds plausible. I mean, since Mackenzie showed us the sketch of the vent, the killer had plenty of time to do it," Jose said. Ashton chuckled, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Maybe the killer wanted to make Morcillas with her intestines."

"They made what?" Ibb asked, confused as to the foreign word. Daisuke sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Spanish Blood Sausages. Usually, they're made using pork intestines and cooked in their own blood. I really didn't need that image in my head, cabron,"

"Hijo de tu puta madre! Espero que el diablo te palta en dos!" Diego snapped in Spanish, spitting on the ground shortly after.

"Leave it to you to always say something disgusting! Christ!" one of Reukra's duplicates shouted. This time, the boy did nothing, allowing it to speak freely.

"How could you say that, knowing it could have very well been you?"

"But it isn't me, and that's why I can say what I want!"

"You had a lot of problems growing up didn't you? Like maybe your mom left you alone for too long, and you inhaled her stash of coke?" Mariana said, earning a laugh from Jose and an even more boisterous one from Shiro. The treant clenched his fist, his knuckles popping loudly.

"Ooh you are lucky you are a woman, if not I would have wiped that smirk off your stupid face,"

"This is getting us nowhere," Miyaki mumbled under her breath. She heard sniffles beside her, and glanced up, noticing Seisha had broken into tears. Streaks of crimson blood fell from the corners of his eyes, slowly turning into rubies as they dropped to the floor.

"You guys are so mean! Miss Isabella was nice to me, she said Mr. Bitey was cute, and that I didn't look like a monster. How could you all be so cruel with her?"

"Hey, it's okay Seisha. Ashton is just a natural born asshole. He just likes spewing crap out of his mouth, kay? Don't let what he says bother you. We all respect Isabella and want nothing more than for this crime to be solved!" she said, comforting the Samebito.

"So, now what? Where do we stand? Are we gonna go with this crazy theory that the killer escaped through a vent?" Bethany asked curiously.

"It's the only thing we've got. We can't exactly check the vent either, I didn't even notice it until now," Nyx added.

"You know, this reminds me of something else. There was this game I played once, where the girl tried to kill someone with a shot put ball." Miya said, grabbing everyone's attention. "She went down to the library and was setting some books up to look like a ramp. Then they rigged some cameras and all this other junk. Before she left the classroom, she rolled the ball down the vent, to try and kill the one that had trapped them there,"

"Miya, how is this relevant?" Mackenzie asked curiously.

"Because, that plan ended up failing! The vent in this case could be another red herring. I mean, how would they get up there? They'd need wings in order to fly up there after all."

"Wings huh?" Riku mumbled, as he looked at Mariana. The Ultimate Manakete felt his eyes on her, and shifted her gaze.

"What? You actually think it was me?"

"Well you've got wings don't you?"

"Alright, if it was me then paint me a picture of how I squeezed through that vent? Please show me in detail, how I got these two fuckers," she paused, pointing at her wings. "To fold down enough to snake my way through a fucking vent. I'll wait sweetie,"

"Ugh...would someone get the number of the truck that hit me?" Lars said, as he regained consciousness. He rubbed his cheek, his eyes gazing throughout the room. "Oh goddamn it, it wasn't a dream at all wasn't it?"

"I'm afraid not, I kind of wish it was though," Charlotte said, replying to his question. Riku sighed, shaking his head.

"You're right Anna, you couldn't have been the one. But you aren't the only one with wings!" he said, his gaze shifting towards Felicks. "It was you wasn't it? The one who hid in the cafeteria and killed Bella?!" he exclaimed.

"Wha...me?" the boy cried out, completely flabbergasted.

"Yes you! You are the Ultimate Fairy aren't you? Those wings don't look fake to me. Which means you can fly. You could have pulled this off!" the Neko cried, pointing an accusatory finger at the green haired lad.

"How could he have done that if he was asleep in his bed with us?" Mariana said, causing the neko to hiss in anger.

"You could be covering for him, duh! Besides, you said yourself that Felicks fell asleep first. That means theoretically, he woke up first. He could have easily left the room, killed Isabella, left through the vents and returned before any of you stirred!"

"Oh man, it sounds like Rika Nyan Nyan is going stir crazy!" Shiro cried out, holding back a giggle.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" he shouted angrily, slamming his fist into his stand. His left hand twitched slightly as lengthy claws grew from his finger tips. "I'm sick and tired of this shit! All you do is insult me, and Isabella. You don't have respect for anyone!"

"Hey, there's no need to yell buddy. I'm just trying to lighten the mood," the executioner spat back. "But assuming that I don't respect anyone? That's insulting. I may not have respected her in life, but I do in death. You fucker,"

"Jesus Christ, we're running in circles here. There's nothing for us to work with. None of the evidence is helpful, we haven't honed in on a suspect." Daisuke said, bowing his head. "I think, I think we're gonna have to throw in the towel,"

"Throw in the towel? Come on Dais! Don't tell me you actually mean that?!" Charlotte cried out. The man didn't reply. She grabbed a hold of his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Please, don't you dare say we're giving up!"

"Daisuke please, there has to be something. The other killing games must have had something right? Something that helped everyone make it past this the first trial?" Nyx asked, clasping her hands together.

"Goddammit! Just because I know about the other games doesn't mean I know what to do here! Fuck" he shouted back, causing the halfling to shy back. "I'm not...I'm not some wise old man okay? This is the first time I've ever been put in this situation. Why the hell do you look at me as if I were a leader?"

"Daisuke, I'd like to apologize to you," Dalila suddenly said. Her voice cutting across the room. He glanced at her, seeing the saddened expression on her face. "I didn't think we were putting this much pressure on your shoulders,"

"I wasn't." Ashton said.

"Neither was I. Hey, we agree on something!" Lars said as he looked at the treant.

"Fuck off asshole,"

"Not to interrupt on this trial or anything but...if you can't seem to reach a verdict, there is another option," Syd said, almost sneering as he grabbed they're attention. Saino looked at the man, a confused look on her face.

"You aren't insinuating they use _that _are you?"

"They are deadlocked. What say you Surassha?" the surgeon said, turning to the bear. She hummed to herself, her mouth splitting into a grin, sharpened teeth gleaming in the light.

**"**_**Hmm...well it would make for an entertaining ending." **_she said, rising to her feet. **_"_**_**Alright then, allow me to explain two new aspects of the class trial. I'm sure you've already read about them in your journals!"**_

"We have?" Kanemoto asked, confusion on her face. Charlotte frowned as she reached for her journal.

"Tickets and their Uses. Read Use number 10." she said. Everyone retrieved their journals, quickly flipping to the aforementioned page.

"Use number 10. Should the subjects arrive at a deadlock during the class trial, a collected sum of 20 tickets can be used to end the trial immediately. No verdict shall be given and the subjects will live another day," Miyaki said.

"Twenty tickets? That's what it takes to end this shit?" Ashton cried out.

"So it would seem. Silver tickets are more valuable than you cretins think. 5 could get you off this island, but what fun is that? 10 will get you nearly anything you'd like. 20 ends the trials, and hell, if you managed to collect 50 of them. Well let's just say Doctor Momota has something special for the one that does that," Syd said, leaning back in his seat.

"Tch...even if that is the case, I don't think we even have twenty tickets between us," Riku said, holding his own ticket up. It had an odd shine to it, reflecting the bright lights of the trial room.

"You are correct. By my calculation, 17 tickets have been handed out since you stepped into this facility. So even if you amassed the ones collected, you are four shy of leaving this trial," Saino said firmly. Surasshakuma giggled loudly, striking a pose with her hat and cane in hand.**  
**

**_"_**_**Which means option two becomes viable! Please turn to Rule Number 8 in your handy dandy journals!" **_

Doing as she asked, Daisuke turned to said rule. His eyes hovered over the words, making him growl as he read them. He felt a deep rooted anger stirring within him as he tore his gaze from the pages of the book.

"The Sacrificial Clause?"

**"****_That's right boyo! If and only if a trial ends in deadlock, then the remaining students get to vote! It's totally random of course! Which means one of you suckers will get offed even if you are innocent! Now isn't that swell?" _**

"No it isn't! Don't you dare justify the sacrifice of a persons life as merely swell! What is the matter with you? You should be ashamed of yourself!" Bethany shouted angrily.

"You know, I'm surprised you of all people are bitching about this. I mean, shouldn't you of all people know what it's like to make human sacrifices? Seeing as you have a false god and all," Lars asked, earning a groan from Mariana.

"I should have hit him harder,"

"Yeah, and if you snapped his neck then you'd be fucked, and not in the pleasurable way," Ashton replied, making the manakete huff loudly. A small puff of smoke left her lips, slowly rising to the air.

"Moving on, if no one can solve this class trial then I'm afraid we'll have to move forward. This is survival of the fittest after all, natural selection is bound to get one or two of you. You have five minutes to move the trial forward," Saino said, pressing a button on her arm rest.

A whirling sound filled the room, as the center of the class trial courtroom started opening up. The stands were pushed back slightly, as a silver colored mechanism rose out of the ground. It came to a stop, once it was level with all of the stands. It started to spin, several metallic arms springing from the underside, forming a circular spinner. It was labeled with the letters A-W, each of them being color coated with brilliant lights.

**"**_**Oh? We're going with Sacrificial Roulette? That's nice! Though I feel like I've read this in another story before,"** _Surasshakuma said, placing a claw at her chin. She shrugged it off. **_"__Eh, oh well...you heard the woman. 5 minutes starting now!"_**

"You can't force this upon us! What the hell is wrong with you? This wasn't part of any other Killing Game!" Riku shouted in anger.

"The kitten is right! You can't just force us to pull evidence out of our asses. Even if we vote wrong, all of us will die. So what the hell is the point of this?" Ashton snapped.

"Heh...they're putting us in a no win situation. If we pick someone and vote wrong, we all die. If we vote at random, one of us dies. If we don't vote at all, the wheel spins and kills one of us off. No matter what, we're fucked," Lars said, flipping through his book. He smirked. "Not me though, I'm sure I'll get away in time,"

"There has to be something, anything! I can't die here goddammit! I have family!" Eris cried in anger.

"Oh, and because you have family means that you want to live more than I do? I ain't got anyone back home!" the treant snapped back. Dalila bowed her head, a sad look on her face.

"I guess I won't be coming back home after all guys," she said softly. "Jafari, Kitwana, Tamu, Chitundu...mother, I'm so sorry."

"Four minutes," Syd said eagerly, watching the counter slowly ticking down. Daisuke grit his teeth so hard he swore one of them cracked. He clenched his hand tightly, mentally reviewing the evidence.

"_There has to be something. Isabella was staked in the cafeteria. The doors were shut, someone used the vent. Her gun is missing, they used it to kill her. It can't be Lars, he'd be soaked in blood. Her kidney is missing, the table was moved back, her earring fell off. Fuck...what the hell is it?" _he thought.

"Three minutes!"

"_The kidney...that's the only thing that I wasn't able to figure out. Why is her kidney missing? Why that organ in specific? There has to be a reason," _he paused for a moment, glancing around the room. He locked eyes with a few people, before landing on Miyaki. She tilted her head curiously exposing a bit of her shoulder. He noticed the stitches that were barely hidden. His eyes widened.

"That's it!"

"Did you find something?" Charlotte asked, earning a nod from the boy.

"Isabella's kidney was the only thing that couldn't place. It was an organ that just didn't make sense. Why was it missing? Why just that organ. I think I know what happened to it. Syd mentioned something earlier that I dismissed entirely," the storyteller said.

**_(Flashback) _**

"_Sure kid, my name is Syd Sabrer. I'm the Ultimate Surgeon, if you need medical assistance, I'm your man. Try not to get into any life threatening fights. I already had to stitch two of you, I don't feel like doing the same for the rest." _he said, swiftly turning around. He started heading back the way he came.

_**(Flashback ends)**_

**"**You're right, Syd did mention someone being stitched, two people in fact," Mackenzie said.

"Well I wasn't one of them, before you ask. I did my own stitch work," Lars said, holding up his wrist.

"I can attest to that. He didn't even use the proper thread, just regular sewing thread. I'll need to look at it after we're done here. The last thing you need is an infection,"

"Thanks but no thanks, I'd rather not turn into a brain dead monster, thank you~" he said sarcastically.

"Okay, then who did Syd mean? Two people here have stitches, aside from Lars." Felicks said. Nyx glanced at Miyaki, a pensive look on her face. "Your shoulder has some stitches. So does your arms and your leg. What happened to you?"

"I died remember? I don't know what happened to my body afterwards," the circus performer said.

"I can answer that," Syd said, as he stood up from his seat. He set down his empty bear bottle, rolling his shoulders a bit. He reached into his pocket for a remote, pressing a button. A large screen television lowered itself down from the ceiling. It whirled to life, a paused video appearing on screen.

"This is a recording of a video that I affectionately like to call, the Swine's Feast," he said, pressing play.

The video started up, the sounds of pigs echoing through the speakers. They noticed several bodies hanging up like tattered scarecrows, were the bodies of Mikhail, Miyaki, Rene, Hikari, Shohei, Amare and Mallory. Four large hogs were feasting upon their bodies. The soft squelching of blood and flesh being pulled from bone echoed through the speakers. The animals were happily munching along, eagerly ingesting the human flesh before them. The subjects watched on with morbid curiosity, as the hogs continued tearing the bodies apart. Felicks doubled over, dry heaving on the ground, while Bethany and Eris just watched on, unable to look away. Miyaki's hand flew to her mouth, her face devoid of color.

"I'm gonna be sick,"

"Yeah...not a pretty sight is it?" Syd asked, as he paused the video. "This was the beginning of it too. Mallory's body was left in a horrid state. Hell, her entire lower body was eaten, but at least I was able to salvage some parts from her,"

"P-parts? What do you mean parts?" the girl exclaimed. Syd only grinned, not answering her question. Saino sighed, sitting up in her seat.

"You my dear are known as Subject A113: Code named Frankenstein. Doctor Momota wished to experiment with life and death, as he had once done in the past. But he needed the perfect subject. It just so happened that he was able to procure the bodies of the deceased students of Class 80-B, your former classmates,"

"Yours was the most intact. The swine had devoured one of your legs, which was replaced with that bionic one. All of your organs were taken from the others. You have a mixture of everyone inside you my dear," the surgeon replied. "I had the supreme honor of stitching you up, and bringing you back to life. Of course we had to wait awhile for your body to be fully restored. I'd say you are a success,"

"That's fucking sick! How dare you mess with the deceased like that!" Bethany shouted in anger. Her body was shaking, threatening to explode like it had almost done before. "You disgusting bastards! You have no respect for Atua's creations! I hope your soul burns for the rest of its immortal life!"

"As if I fear your false god, keep your beliefs to yourself. Whatever the case, I've helped enough. Miyaki Hanao has been rebranded as the Ultimate Frankenstein. Though I believe her circus talents are still viable. Do with that information what you will,"

Everyone remained silent, not knowing what to say after what they had been told. Charlotte cleared her throat, regaining everyone's attention. Miyaki remained silent, still staring at the now blank screen, a pale look on her face. Bethany was breathing heavily, while Nyx and Haruna looked over the Ultimate Fairy, who had been dry heaving since the beginning of the video.

"We need," she paused briefly, taking a breath. "We need to finish this trial...as sick as it is. We need to get out of here,"

"Daisuke, you had something didn't you? With the stitches? What do you think happened here?" Kanemoto asked. The young man nodded, bowing his head a bit.

"My thought is, that the one who killed Isabella, stole her kidney. Miyaki couldn't had done it. With Syd confirming that Jibo used parts from Class 80-B and he put her together, it leaves only one solution," he said. "The one who killed Isabella, took her kidney because they needed it,"

"That's a stretch don'tcha think?" Shiro asked curiously.

"I must agree with her Daisuke. Merely assuming that Isabella's missing kidney was used by someone else is far-fetched. I mean, they'd have to be compatible, wouldn't they?" Haruna asked.

"Not necessarily. There are medicines out there that help keep organs from rejecting the host. This could be the likely case," Kate replied.

"So...what do you want to do about it? There's only one way we can figure out who took that kidney," Ashton said, crossing his arms.

"Lift up your shirts, I'll take a look to see if you've got stitches or not," Miyaki said.

"This is fucking stupid man, we really gotta do this shit?" Jose asked, firmly.

"I have no issue with it, especially if it saves my life," Eris replied. She quickly lifted her shirt, showing her bare back to the circus performer. "See anything?"

"Nope, your good," she said. Everyone followed suit, earning similar replies from the others. Lars was the final person, who grumbled about how stupid the whole thing was. "That's it, Lars is that last one and he's clean,"

"We just wasted more time! Daisuke you dunce, why the heck would you say her kidneys were stolen?" Miya cried out angrily. She shook her fist at the boy. "You're a dummy!"

"Hey! What the hell was I supposed to do? It was either pull something out of my ass or die. Besides, it was a viable theory, and you can't fucking argue with that!" he shouted back, causing the purplette to shy back behind Ibb. Everyone remained silent for a few moments, unable to speak. Syd let out a laugh, shaking his head.

"After all of this, you guys are back where you started. Maybe throwing in the towel is the best thing you can do. Besides, it's survival of the fittest right?"

"No!" Charlotte snapped angrily. "We are not condemning one of our own to death! We will figure out who did this the proper way!"

"I agree with Charlotte! We have to go back to the beginning and talk through everything again!" Nyx added.

**"**_**Eh...sorry kid, but I'm afraid your time is up! We can't do this all day after all. So, you all know how this goes. You shall all vote for someone you'd like to sacrifice. Or you could let the spinner decide for you, whatever tickles your boat!"**_

The counter reset, once again starting at 5 minutes. The Ultimate Storyteller swallowed hard as he looked at the glowing yellow numbers.

"_There has to be something!"_

4:35...4:34...4:33...

"_Come on...think...it wasn't the kidney. The gunshot killed her, the vent was the escape route. There's no blood, Lars is innocent. Sound proofed walls mean jack shit. What am I missing?" _

3:59...3:58...3:57...

"_This isn't possible...this trial can't be solved. I don't have evidence to select anyone! This is...this is just a test isn't it? What are you pulling here Old Man?" _the storyteller thought.

A loud beep filled the room, from someone pressing a button. Daisuke raised his gaze, seeing Lars with his finger on the button. He smirked as he crossed his arms.

"No use in waiting it out right? May as well vote for something."

"You're right, I'll just vote for you!" Ashton said, following in his example. Mariana hissed angrily, casting her vote.

"Dickhead, I hope you die."

What followed was a series of votes, all being cast in rage and in fear. Daisuke couldn't help but question what was happening. Miyaki had backed away from her stand, not wanting to partake in the votes. Mackenzie and Shiro had done the same, along with Diego, Reukra and Haruna. Everyone else had cast their votes, patiently waiting for the others.

"Well? Aren't you gonna vote?" Eris asked curiously.

"Absolutely not! Not at the risk of my own life. I got someone waiting for me outside this shithole. I'm going to her as soon as this shit is over. I am not going to risk my ass for any of you!" Kanemoto cried out.

"I must abstain as well. My duty as hostess is to make sure everyone has a wonderful time under my watch. I am not going to rescind one of you to death,"

"Neither am I. It would go against my beliefs. I will not sacrifice anyone to the fires of hell. I must atone for what my sister did in the past. Subjecting someone to death is not the way to do that. I pray that Atua's light shines brightly for you, and makes you realize what a mistake you've made," Bethany said firmly.

**"**_**Well if that's the case then it won't do. A little less than half of you cast a vote. Meaning the roulette is still going to spin! I can't wait for this game to finally begin!" **_Surasshakuma cried, as the counter finally hit 0. The roulette started spinning rapidly, being controlled by another mechanism entirely. A small red and blue ball rolled out of a glass tube, landing in the wheel. Everyone watched the ball spinning around rapidly.

They all continued watching as it spun. Spinning around and around, and around, until it started to slow down. It landed in a slot, the roulette still spinning. The letters were still blurry, but as the wheel finally slowed to a stop, it revealed the letter it had fallen on.

**"**_**Lookie here! It landed on the letter B! Now let's see which one of you lucky schmucks gets to die today!" **_she said, pressing the button on her throne's arm rest. A loud fanfare began playing through the room as the name was finally revealed.

**"**_**Jose Muerto has been sacrificed! That's right ladies and gentlemen, the roulette has spoken! Looks like you're the unlucky subject who's gonna die today!"**_

"Que? No! I'm not going to die! You can't let this happen, I'm innocent!"

"We never questioned if you were innocent or not kid. The wheel chose you. Besides, even if it hadn't, the majority of the people that voted, picked you. The numbers don't lie," Syd said, showing them a tablet that had tallied all of the cast votes. Jose had 4 votes in total, while Lars, Ashton, and Mariana all had one a piece.

**"****_Whelp, looks like the Ultimate Demon is going to get sent back to hell! Oh boy, oh boy! I've been waiting to press this button!" _****Surasshakuma cried out. **She flipped her cane in the air, catching it in her grasp. _**"**_**_Let's give it everything we've got! Ladies and Gentlemen, children of all ages! What I present you with now is a sacrifice filled with thrills, chills and kills! Designed by none other than our resident Ultimate Executioner! This is a number I like to call "La Calavera del Demonio!" _**

"NOOOOO!" Jose cried out in fear as the robotic bear brought the cane down on the glowing button. Several chains shout out of the ground, wrapping around his body. He let out a scream of fear, grabbing onto one of the chains and breaking it. "I'm not going to die here!"

More chains wrapped around him, finally dragging him away. The screen, which had been blank for awhile, showed a live feed from another area.

**_Jose Muerto has been sacrificed! Preparing Execution~_**

The Ultimate Demon screamed in fear as he was dragged across the concrete ground, smears of pink being left behind from his exposed skin. The chains were finally loosened, allowing him to easily break out of them. He rapidly stood up, ignoring the pain coursing through his back and legs. He tried running in the direction where he had come, only for two loud pops to fill the air. He screamed in agony as two harpoons stabbed straight through his hands. He was roughly pulled back toward an iron wall, the chains pulling on him until he was raised from the ground. Dark black blood oozed out of his wounds, falling to the ground, as his arms were spread to the side.

Surasshakuma made it into view, spinning her cane happily as she walked. She giggled as she pressed a button with the end of it, causing claw-like vices to wrap around the demon, stabbing into his chest. He let out a scream of pain, as he tried and failed to get free. At the same time, a pair of saws had slowly started cutting into the young man's skull, severing the large horns that had sprouted from the sides of it.

"HELP ME! POR FAVOR! NO ME DEJEN MORIR!"

**"****_Aw, don't be such a spoil sport! Where you are going, no one is going to help you. Not even god himself, or should I say Atua? Eh, what do I know? Anyway, I do hope you've made peace with yourself! Hyuk hyuk hyuk~" _**the two toned bear cried happily.

"Jodete!"

**"**_**Hey bub, I was actually going to let you have a chance to escape. But oh well right? Have a painful ride!" **_

She turned away from the Demon as she pressed the button on her cane, activating the machine. With a loud snap, the machine opened, pulling the demon's ribs clean out of his body. All of his internal organs splattered to the ground as his body went limp. The machine released the ribs, which all clustered to the ground. To add insult to injury, a few hogs were let into the chamber, which proceeded to feast on the bloody remains of Jose's corpse. His skull clattered to the ground, smeared pink and black, his golden eyes still visible in its sockets.

**_xxx_**

Daisuke remained silent as the video feed cut to black. Surasshakuma appeared in the class trial courtroom, fixing her hat as she jumped onto the throne. She sighed contently, crossing her stubby legs, leaning back against the seat.

**"****_Well, how'd you like that? I'd like to thank Shiro Hayashi for designing that one. I truly do hope we get to use more of them in this game of ours!"_**

"Tch...I know I'm the Ultimate Executioner, but I did not design that. God, that was awful. If I wanted to design something I would make it more original. What the hell was that? It looked like a Saw rip off!" the girl exclaimed, crossing her arms in anger.

"Whatever, this trial is over. And with that, we can finally move on. But before we go, it seems Doctor Momota wishes to address you all," Syd said, clicking a few things on his remote. The television in the room whirled to life once more as the Doctor's worn countenance appeared on the screen.

"_Congratulations on passing this trial everyone. You've all exceeded my expectations. I had honestly thought you'd be lead to a wrongful vote. Yet here you are, letting luck handle the final decision. Very well done,"_

"If that is all you want to tell us, then keep your words to yourself. Because of you, Isabella is dead! Not only her but Jose who was completely innocent, is also fucking dead!" Riku spat in anger.

"I agree with Riku. I'm certain this was precisely what you wanted to happen. That's why the Victim File had a contradiction in it, and this trial was set up the way it was. You wanted this outcome, you wanted a trial where we would be deadlocked," Diego said, glaring at the screen. "But why? Why would you go through the trouble of setting that up?"

"_It's an interesting thing, wouldn't you say? Life and Death hanging on the balance of one choice and 23 others. You all had a choice. Let luck handle it, or vote for one of your fellow subjects. Yet some of you decided to vote for each other, curious isn't it?"_Jibo said firmly.

"That's a load of bullshit. What's your angle here? Why bring everyone to this accursed island? Just so you could play god? Well, I'm not buying it!" Daisuke shouted in anger, earning a laugh from the man.

"_Well, it's all quite simple really. You know my philosophy already. I wish to seek the best of the best out there. But, I don't want to bore you with the details of what you already know. As for today's MVP, well...I had originally chosen you but, I think someone else needs this," _the man said. Syd reached into his pocket, pulling out one of the coveted Silver Tickets. He bowed before Miyaki, handing her the trinket.

"Apologies for what happened to you on the moon. I hope you can make use of your second life. It is a gift granted to you by Doctor Momota himself. Be sure to treasure it," he said. The blonde spat in his face, tearing the ticket to shreds.

"You and the good Doctor can sit on it and rotate." she cried. Syd chuckled, a smirk working its way onto his face.

"I see, so it's already started hasn't it?" he asked. She gave him a confused look. Shaking his head, the man turned away. "Whatever, your funeral. Terazawa, let us be on our way,"

Saino nodded, following the Surgeon out of the class trial courtroom. Jibo chuckled dryly, his gaze still on the 22 remaining subjects.

"Like in previous games, with the death of your friend, you shall be allowed to leave. The SCP Foundation Site shall no longer be your prison. Your maps will also be updated with a new location for you all to explore. Of course, you could wonder around the island without a map, and risk being killed by a wide number of creatures."

"I think I'll take my chances out in the wilds, thank you though. I'd rather not get any help from a salty old geezer like you," Lars said. Jibo leaned back in his seat.

"If you say so. Just be careful, you might be surrounded by ghastly things, and wish you'd had taken my olive branch," he said. He paused briefly, a coughing fit rocking his fragile frame.

"Heh, any olive branch you extend will lead to nothing more than despair. All of you are the same, getting your sick kicks from death and murder. Just leave us alone! I'd rather try my luck out there than get help from someone evil like you!" Mackenzie cried, hot tears flowing down her cheeks. The man sighed audibly.

"That's the thing, people often times confuse my work with despair. No...it isn't despair that I am after. It is what remains after despair, which fascinates me. The strong kill the weak, the weak kill the weakest among them. The weak band together to kill the strong, and in the aftermath, a superior race is born. The Ultimate Race of Humans. Those that can survive through anything that is thrown at them. The circle of life will stake its claim upon this world of ours, and you all have a front row seat to the world left behind,"

Everyone remained silent, allowing his words to sink in for a moment. He set down the glass he had been sipping from, leaning back in his seat.

"I look forward to seeing how each and every one of you deal with the horrors on this island. I do hope you've enjoyed this little taste, because I assure you, what's to come will be a lot worse than this,"

With that, he tuned off. Surasshakuma tapped her cane impatiently.

**"****_Alright, you fucks, start heading towards the elevator! I gotta getcha outta here and get the dead guy to the morgue. Maybe with luck, that fucker won't come back as a failed experiment." _**she said, urging the others forward.

Daisuke and the others wordlessly followed the bear. After what just had occurred, none of them had any words. He glanced back, sparing a single glance at the class trial court room. He didn't know why, but he knew it wouldn't be the last time he would visit it.

_**xxx(End of Chapter 1: We Lucky Few)xxx**_

**_Surviving Test Subjects 22_**

**AN: Finally! The end of the first class trial! I'm sure some of you noticed, but the letters on the wheel did correspond to people in this game. It's the reason why I asked for letters. But in the end, I rolled a D20 and got 6 as my number and from there I chose 6 unlucky schmucks. Thanks to McLogal, for unintentionally killing the first victim of Isle. **

**But now that this trial is over, all that remains is the epilogue and omake. This has been an exciting chapter to write. I can't wait to return with both of those in tow. They're gonna be good, I promise. For now, though, I shall return to my rest! Thanks, everyone, for turning into this class trial. I'm sure you've been at the edge of your seat wondering who would bite it. But in the end, it didn't turn out the way you expected huh? I wanted to craft an unsolvable trial, and I did just that.**

**See you all next time!**


	13. C1: Epilogue

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 1 Epilogue

Return to Hora Island

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037: Building #1 (Cafeteria)**

**Time: 2:00 PM**

**Date: August 2****nd****, 2020**

Numb didn't begin to describe what he was feeling. It was as if the world had stopped for a few hours. The feeling of pure unadulterated despair flowing through the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife. And yet he didn't feel anything. Aside from the pure burning anger that was coursing through his body. He wasn't angry at anyone in particular, though Ashton and Lars were beginning to wear him thin. No, he was angry at the mastermind of this little game. Jibo Momota. The man who had lead them into an unsolvable trial. No, it wasn't that it was unsolvable... it was that whoever had killed Isabella had hidden their tracks well. It lead him to believe that it had been a set up from the very beginning.

It was why he had come back to the cafeteria. He had to make sure that was the case. He had almost been expecting to see the body to have been cleaned up, like in previous games. But to his shock and disgust, Isabella's body was still hanging there. As a bitter reminder of their own failure, at letting one of their own end up in such a state. Rigor Mortis had begun setting in, the flushness of her flesh now being dull and gray, absent. Any sign of life that had once come from Isabella was long gone. He took a deep breath, ignoring the lingering scent of copper. He looked directly at the vent, eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on the grate.

"_This was the escape route they took huh? I don't really buy it, not for a second. There's foul play here,"_

"Daisuke? I wasn't expecting to find you here," the voice of Haruna said, bringing him out of his thoughts. He locked eyes with the pinkette, who had a frown on her face. "I had expected you to be...elsewhere," she said, sparing a glance at Isabella's corpse.

"I uh...I needed closure if you will. Mackenzie's sketch of the cafeteria brought some questions to mind. I wanted to check to see if the killer did leave through this vent," he said, eyes going back to the grate. "Don't you think it's odd that her kidney was taken for no good reason? I tried to put everything else logically in place. But it was the only variable I couldn't place."

"Yes, I myself pondered various paths with her missing kidney. But I ended up hitting a wall at every step," she said. She took a shaky breath, sniffling a bit. "Forgive me, Daisuke. I've just been...it's been a long day for me."

"Do you...wanna talk?" he asked softly. She nodded, taking a seat at a nearby table, facing away from the corpse. She placed her folded hands on the table top, the man noticing she was shaking a bit.

"I've been holding it in for so long. Jesus Christ, Daisuke I'm so scared! You have no idea how frightened I came right now. I've been in many situations, but this? I just..." she paused, bowing her head. "When I saw that roulette rise out of the ground, and Surasshakuma bring up the Sacrificial Clause, I thought that was it."

"You thought you were gonna die right?" he asked, earning a nod from her. "And when you realized Jose had been picked, you were relieved?"

"I was, I thought...fuck this is it. This is where Haruna Shirai's life has lead her. But when he was dragged away, I sighed in relief! I was glad that it wasn't me! I'm such a horrible disgusting person. I should have died instead of him,"

"Now stop right there. That isn't true, no one deserved to die. What happened to Jose was horrible, tragic even. But it was out of our hands. That's all this game amounts too. It's a game of deception, false truths, and misdirection. That's what Jibo wants, this is a survival game...and we're just unlucky enough to find ourselves in the midst of it," Daisuke replied, placing his hand on hers. He could feel just how anxious she was, her entire frame was shaking, and yet she had a firm look on her face. A mask, to keep up appearances.

"But it's true!" she exclaimed, pulling her hand free. She jumped to her feet, heels clacking loudly against the concrete. "It's my fault that Isabella died! I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach, that something bad was gonna happen. If I had come out here last night, she'd be alive! Jose would be alive!"

"Sweetheart, you can't blame yourself for that. A gut feeling doesn't mean shit you know," the brunette said firmly. Haruna backed away, her back hitting the wall. She let out a cry, slowly sliding down to the floor.

"I-I can't! I am a hostess, I'm supposed to listen to the problems belonging to my hostees!" she cried out, burying her face in her arms. "I don't deserve my title,"

"Haruna, you've been nothing but kind to all of us. You prepared breakfast for us. Not only that, you helped me out a lot during the investigation." he said, giving her a reassuring smile. He leaned back in his seat, his back hitting the edge of the table. "I know what it's like you know, to live out in a world of despair,"

"Yes, I was able to gather that myself. I was in America when the Tragedy broke out,"

"America huh?" the storyteller mumbled, earning a nod from the girl.

"Indeed, my job as a hostess landed me in quite a few places. At first, it started out as a simple job. At the age of fifteen, I wished to help my mother. My elder sister Mika works quite a few jobs, to help our mother out."

"Is that what lead Hope's Peak to discover your talent?" he asked curiously. She furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Hope's Peak? No...I wasn't scouted by them. In fact, I was scouted by another school. Do you know about the Hope's Peak Charter System?"

"I have knowledge on it, yes. Hope's Peak Academy had a few other schools in a joint charter. Hope's Peak Academy ended up helping to create a couple of schools. Rising Hope High School in Canada, which is now defunct. And their American institution, Hope Hills Preparatory Academy."

"Yes, that's the one. HHPA was the school that scouted me. I had been traveling overseas and got a job working at a club. As a recommendation from my boss Hisashi. I was seventeen at the time when I was scouted. When the tragedy spread to America, I was in my second year," she said, a frown appearing on her face. "I dropped everything and took the first plane back to Japan. Just in time to see my homeland being destroyed by Ultimate Despair."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I was in Spain when everything went down. I lost track of my mother and my sister. I've searched for a long time, but I haven't heard anything about either. I know they're still alive. Once I get out of this hellhole, I'll find them." he said, a confident look on his face. "So is Mika your only family? Any other siblings I should know about?"

"I have two little sisters, and my mom is still alive. The last time I saw them, they had headed to my grandparent's home in Hokkaido. It seems the northern parts of Japan have been left unscathed, for the most part. I took on work with Mika though. We needed to support them through what was going on after all." Haruna said, uttering a sigh. "The life of a Supreme Hostess is never over I guess,"

"Supreme Hostess? I thought you were the Ultimate Hostess?" the boy queried, earning a giggle from the pinkette.

"Oh I am. Since America was the place HHPA was located, they wanted their own fancy title. So they dropped Ultimate and replaced it with Supreme."

"Heh...leave it to America to heft their huge balls around like they're weightless," he replied dryly. Haruna broke into laughter, her shoulders shaking slightly.

"That's the first time I've genuinely laughed in awhile. Thanks for talking Daisuke, you've helped me calm down a bit."

"You're welcome. Say, since you are here, mind helping me? I need someone to check the ventilation shaft. I just...gotta make sure you know?"

"You think I can fit in there? With this bouffant dress? I don't think so," she said, rapidly standing up. He rolled his eyes, reaching for his gun. He pulled the flashlight off and handed it to her.

"Fine, I'll hold you up and you look, does that work?" he asked.

"I suppose, but you owe me. I don't let just any man put their hands around my hips."

"Yeah yeah,"

_**xxx**_

**Location: SCP Foundation Site 11037 (Common Room: Living Area) **

**Time: 2:15 PM**

**Date: August 2****nd, ****2020**

"So...what's the plan now?" Nyx asked curiously, as she gazed around the room. Everyone, minus Daisuke and Haruna and Lars for obvious reasons, had gathered there. Now that the first class trial was over and done with, no one had an idea of what to do.

"Jibo said that our maps would update right? Perhaps we should take a look at them and decide what to do." Diego suggested, reaching into his jacket for his own. "After what went down here, I don't want to stay here anymore,"

"I don't know about you all, but I'm really not looking forward to going back out there. We barely got away from those weird dogs. Not to mention that machete-wielding hack is out there," Charlotte said, shivering a bit.

"But we can't stay here either big sis. We'll have to take our chances...I know it's scary, but we have to go." Mackenzie said, giving her a smile. Charlotte sighed, nodding in defeat.

"Besides, we shouldn't be scared of Jason. I'm sure he's a nice fella at heart!"

"Shiro, has anyone ever told you that you lack tact? Daisuke told me how you wanted to shake that man's hand. That is not something I'd do if I saw them in the woods," Ibb said, only to be brushed off by the gyaru.

"It'll be fine! The resident Pokemon Trainer will keep you all safe! Ninetales, Gardevoir, and Greninja are super strong! Not to mention I have three more in reserve just in case!"

"Great! Putting my life in the hands of mutated creatures from a video game franchise. Because that isn't a bad idea," one of Reukra's duplicates said, rolling its eyes. The boy sighed, gritting his teeth, willing the copy to disappear into his body. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to say that,"

"It isn't your fault kiddo! While a bit mean, that copy did say what was on most of our minds. I don't exactly want to put my life in the hands of mutant animals," Kate said, patting the boy's arm.

"I would! Pokemon totally kick ass, and Kanna's Greninja was totally cool! Tell me Kanna, do you have a Skitty in your party? A Buneary maybe?" Miya asked, a hopeful look on her face.

"Ehe, sorry Miya. But I don't have either of those Pokemon in my party," she replied. Miya's attitude dampened a bit, sighing audibly.

"You are so freaking useless! Ugh...what are the odds that I'd get stuck with a hack who doesn't train Skitty's?"

"You're really starting to piss me off, kid. You literally contribute nothing to the group. Why don't you keep your damn mouth shut?" Ashton said, causing Mariana to growl.

"Why don't you? All you ever do is antagonize the lot of us. Maybe you should shut your ass up before someone saws you in half. Or hell better yet, someone turns you into a scratching post for Riku,"

"Ha ha, very funny," he mumbled. "Stupid dragon bitch,"

"I really do hope the cat jokes stop soon. I'm sick of this bullshit," the Neko said, leaning back in his chair. Shiro giggled, wrapping her arm around his neck, giving him a loving pat on the head.

"Aw! He's so fluffeh and cute! He thinks the nicknames are gonna stop! Too bad kitty, this is only the start~" she said, scratching his chin. He started to purr, his tail moving lazily back and forth.

"I'm starting to think she has a thing for the cat," Charlotte said softly, earning a giggle from Mackenzie, who continued patiently drawing in Daisuke's book.

"Guys! We need to figure something out, and quick. I don't think staying here any longer is a wise idea. With all of the shit that's been going on, we might get trapped or worse. Lead into another class trial. We need to evacuate this place pronto!" Eris said firmly.

"I think we should trust in the guidance of Atua in these trying times. I'm sure his light will lead us out of the darkness and to the path of righteousness."

"I'm willing to bet the path of righteousness will lead us straight off a cliff," Ashton said with a scoff. The Pele glared at him, making him shiver slightly. He zipped his lip, remembering what had almost happened in the trial room.

"Um everyone, could I have your attention?" Felicks said, causing everyone to look back at the center table. Miyaki and Diego, along with Seisha and Dalila had been looking at their map intently.

"What's up you guys?" Nyx asked, kneeling down next to the table.

"We've been looking at this map for awhile, studying it intently. Jibo was right, there's a section in it that wasn't there before." the blonde performer said, pointing to the new area.

The map of Hora Island, which in the past had shown the Dark Forest and the SCP Foundation Site, along with the path to Hora Beach, had expanded. The entire westernmost half of the island had been revealed to them. Showing two different paths, leading northwest and southwest from the Foundation Site. There was a drawing of a lake, right on the path to a city that was located north. The name had been scratched away for some reason or another. There was a river that lead down from the lake, cutting straight through a small village that seemed to be close to the Site. The edge of what looked like a mountain range appeared as well, though that entire section of the map remained blacked out.

"So it seems more areas of the map have been opened to us. A lake, a city, and a village, along with what looks like a dock. Though it seems to be cut off," the Ultimate Gorgon said, pointing to the edge of the map.

"It's the same for the mountains here. Haven't you found it odd that Hora Island's features are unknown to us?" Bethany asked curiously.

"What do you mean by that Beth?" Seisha asked curiously, devoting his attention to the Pele.

"Well, it's like this. I woke up on what I assume is the western half of the island. In an area of scorched earth. I continued walking for hours before ending up here with you all. But at that time, before reaching the forest, of course, I couldn't see anything. It's as if a thick fog seemed to obscure everything. Tall trees, buildings, mountains even."

"I wouldn't put it past this island to have a feature like that. When the land becomes a basin for supernatural activities, one would expect this to occur. Perhaps it ties into the map itself? With each trial, a new area unlocks, thus the fog disappears as well." Miya said, tearing her eyes off the map. "Maybe it ties in with the Curse of Hora Island?"

"The curse of Hora Island? I've never heard of it," Diego said firmly. He shook his head, chuckling. "Though it does sound like something my sister would love to read,"

"Regardless of any curse, we should make a plan. The SCP Foundation sits at the middle of the island. That means they likely sought supplies from this city here." Felicks said, pointing to the scratched out city.

"Wait...wouldn't it be a good idea to head to the docks? I mean, they're cut off sure, but we could make our escape there!" Charlotte said eagerly pointing to the picture. "I'm sure we can find a boat or something to escape with,"

"That isn't a good idea. Remember, Dais said plenty of times that something is guarding the island. Escaping via boat might be impossible for us at this moment. I say we go to the city, we might find a flying machine there," Ibb said, shifting her gaze to the city. "Though I will admit, the last time I saw a flying machine was when Leonardo Da Vinci designed his own,"

"You want us to risk our asses, and go in search of a plane?" Ashton asked curiously. "Who the fuck would fly it? The twink with the wings?"

"Hey! Stop calling me that, you giant piece of fire wood!"

"Pfft...fire wood, that's great kid, try again when you actually grow a pair," the treant said, dismissing the fairy.

"Just ignore him Felicks, he's egging you on," Dalila said, giving the boy a smile. "Regardless, I believe heading to the city may be beneficial. If they have the technology, then we can perhaps contact help."

"Who are we gonna call? Future Foundation? Those fuck-ups can't do shit right," Lars said, as he entered the room. He took a drink from a foam cup, chuckling a bit as he leaned against the door frame. "After all, look at what happened to Miss Circus Performer. Oh wait, my bad...it's Miss Frankenstein now,"

"If you just came here to cause trouble, then just leave. We're actually _planning _shit out. We don't need a cynical asshole like you throwing in his two cents," Mariana spat, glaring at the man. He shrugged, leaning back against the table.

"It doesn't matter really. Before I was gracefully brought to this island, I was reading some forums. There's some interesting information floating around the internet. Like the floating amusement park, to name one,"

"The what?" Diego asked, confusion on his face.

"You heard me. Seems like Future Foundation has its hands tied at the moment. And after failing to save the people on Horizon and the Lunar Base, I doubt they'd stop what they're doing to save some fuck ups like us,"

"There's also another factor that hinders their assistance," Miya added, leaning back in the couch. She groaned, rubbing her eyes. "Hora Island is hard to find. It isn't on any map, and whenever you try to sail to it, the journey is perilous. Hell, when I was coming here, my compass went all haywire. It hasn't stopped spinning, actually," she said, reaching into her pocket for a small compass, which she set on the table. The needle was spinning around at a dizzying speed.

"That's disheartening," Nyx mumbled under her breath.

"So getting help from the outside is gonna be rough. We can't leave because we don't know what lies out there. That means we truly are stuck in this shithole," Kanemoto said sadly.

"We can't give up yet! I know it looks rough right now, but if we give up then we're doing what Jibo wants! We need to make sure we get out of here alive. So we can stop people from joining the AUP and being turned into people like us!" the siren said.

"Like us? Like you, you mean. I'm perfectly content with my power. I got everything I want. Some magic, a nice entertaining book, and people who are below me in every way possible. What more could I want?" Lars sneered, a glint of glee in his eyes. "It's as if, the genie granted all my wishes! But I didn't need to jerk off a golden lamp!"

"The AUP may have given you powers, but it didn't get rid of your disgusting personality. Even I can see what an evil person you are at heart," Seisha said firmly, glaring daggers at the man. He rolled his eyes, not at all bothered by his words.

"Whatever...I believe we have our course of action. We should leave as soon as we can. The trek to this city will be long and rough. However, we should reach the outskirts of the Dark Woods by nightfall. We'll camp out and head to the city in the morning,"

"C-camp out? With the monsters outside?" Mackenzie cried, eyes widening in fear.

"Uh-uh! There is no way my skinny butt is sleeping outside. No way, no how! I'd rather take my chances here in this craphole!" Miya cried out.

"I gotta agree with them, Diego. It's dangerous out there, we were lucky not to run into anyone. Now that this game has begun, we don't know what the hell will be waiting for us," Riku said.

"You forget that Kanemoto Mizuki is here with you all! I'll beat down any monster that tries to get at us!" the brunette cried proudly.

"I'll turn anyone that threatens us to stone. I've never used my powers, but I can guarantee you, they'll be statues in seconds," Eris said, adjusting the glasses she had found. She didn't want to risk turning anyone to stone, and thankfully, someone had left some safety glasses behind.

"Still, putting my life in the hands of you two? No offense but I'm too cute to die! Besides, I've got some one waiting for me off this island!" Shiro said, having finally let go of Riku, the Neko had a flush on his face, soft purrs still leaving his lips.

"As do I. My siblings and mother are waiting for me back in Africa. Despite being turned into a Dryad, I'm certain these powers will aid us greatly!" Dalila said cheerfully.

"I've got siblings back home too, as well as my dad. Would be a shame if I died in this place. Fine, we'll take our chances out there. But you better put that shotgun to good use Diego. I won't forgive you if you let anyone of us die." the siren said, glaring at the young man, who loaded shells into the weapon, cocking it loudly.

"I'm not gonna let ya down Charlie, promise," he said cheerfully.

"Ah, there you guys are. Glad to see you're all together," Daisuke said, as he and Haruna entered the common room. Lars scoffed, shaking his head.

"I was bored, figured insulting you cretins would lighten my mood a bit,"

"Keep talking asshat, I'll make sure to give you another black eye," Mariana hissed, reminding the man of his swollen eye. The edges of it were starting to bruise. Despite that, he still sported that shit eating grin on his face.

"What were you two doing? Making out?" Shiro said teasingly. Haruna flushed pink but said nothing. Daisuke sighed, placing his hand at his hip.

"As if I have the time to do that here," he said with a shake of his head. He didn't even notice three of his companions sighing in relief. "A-anyway. I and Haruna decided to check on something while we were here,"

"Indeed. Daisuke was able to lift me up to the vent in the cafeteria. We wished to see if it truly was used as an escape route," the hostess said.

"Well?" Mackenzie asked expectantly. The pinkette shook her head.

"The grate was firmly in place. And while it could have been placed back from the inside, there are no signs of blood. The shaft itself was rather dusty. It showed no visible trace of anyone, be it human or other, using it."

"No crawl marks, no blood, no misplaced dust, firmly placed grate. Everything was in place, meaning the killer left via other means,"

"Why are we discussing this? Even if we did find the killer, no one is going to change the fact that Jose is dead. Just let them go. People live and then they die, it's the natural order of things," Ashton said in a somber tone.

"Jeez, nice way to bring down the mood Groot. Just when we were finally recovering from what had happened too," Miya said, shaking her head in disdain.

"I am not Groot!"

"Daisuke, we've been discussing things here. We've decided on heading to one of the new areas. A city northwest of here. We figure it could be more secure than staying here," Diego said, holding the map out to the storyteller. He gave him a nod.

"Right. We should get ready for the trek then," he advised. "We have bags, so we should prioritize food and water. Especially you Charlotte, we can't have you getting winded on us,"

"Don't worry, I'll be able to carry my own weight. I'll make sure to carry double the water too, and ration it accordingly," she said firmly.

"Then let us begin. We shouldn't waste more time. When the clock strikes 3, we should be ready to go. Those that aren't can stay behind," Haruna said firmly.

"Aye!"

_**xxx**_

**Location: Undisclosed**

**Time: Undisclosed **

**Date: August 2****nd ****2020**

"You are absolutely beaming my dear. I suspect you got the desired results?" Jibo said as the grinning Saino nodded.

"I have sir. It seems Subject A119 has surpassed a few of my expectations! Even at quarter strength, she was able to do damage to Subject A121. Not to mention what she did to A110. I truly do hope she turns into her dragon form soon,"

"Tch...if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a fanatic. What kind of researcher are you again?" Syd asked curiously. Saino regained her composure, giving the man a level glare.

"I'm no mere fanatic. You must understand, my knowledge on the occult is what lead me to this island. Doctor Momota trusts that I can perfect his various experimental serums. He was able to cure Subject A105 of her AIDS after all," the woman said angrily.

"You seem to be getting rather emotional over a simple question. Is it wrong for me to want to know where your talents lie?"

"It's fine Syd. Miss Teraawa's expertise was needed to make this game possible. Her knowledge of not only the occult but fantastical monsters and otherworldly creatures helped me greatly. While on Horizon, I kept contact with her. Once I was able to return, we were able to put out plan in motion. It seems the fruits of our labor are finally paying off," the man said firmly.

"I must apologize, master, I didn't mean to question you. There are so many things I am not aware of that," Syd paused for a brief moment, fixing his headphones. "It grew a bit jealous, it will not happen again,"

"All is well and good my boy. I merely wish to keep certain aspects of this game under lock and key. It isn't fun to reveal all my surprises is it?" he asked.

"Doctor, A112 has returned," Saino said, pointing to the doors that slowly slid open. A figure shrouded in a dark cloak walked into the room, tossing a bag to Syd, who barely caught it. The surgeon looked at it questioningly.

"The hell do you want me to do with this?" he asked. The figure walked to a nearby table, shedding their cloak, tossing it onto the floor, revealing a pink soaked bandage on their lower back.

"That fucking cunt shot me in the back. Went straight through my kidney. If it wasn't for my quick thinking, I'd likely be dead," they spat. Reaching into their bag, they pulled out a bottle of Jack, uncapping and taking a swig of it. "Ah...just fucking get it over with,"

"What exactly is your plan? Now that you've killed Isabella, you can't exactly go back. Especially if they see her instead of you," Saino said firmly.

"Who ever said I was going to rejoin as Isabella? That persona is dead, the earring is gone. No, I'll have to go back as someone else. Don't worry though, I've already got things planned out," they replied. Their eyes focused on Jibo, who had been watching intently. "If I go through with this, you'll keep your end of the bargain right?"

"Of course. I myself know what it's like to lose someone you love. I give you my solemn word, that I will bring her back to you." the man said.

"Good, then I shall keep my end of the bargain," the figure said. Syd sighed, walking towards the back for his tools.

"Alright, follow me into the other room. Like hell we're doing it here," he said. The figure rolled their eyes, grabbing their cloak and bag, trailing behind the surgeon.

"It seems the pieces are lining up just as I've planned,"

"Sir? What exactly is your plan here?" Saino asked curiously. The man turned slightly in his chair, his eyes falling on the various panels before him. He noticed the subjects leaving the SCP Foundation Site, heading back into the wilds.

"You already know my dear. I just wish to see the effects of the particular serums used on our subjects. Though if I'm being honest, there is one person I'm most interested in," he admitted, glancing back at the screens. Saino caught his gaze, seeing he was looking at Daisuke.

"The boy? Why is he so important to you?"

"Let's just say, he's a variable that I wish to further explore. In the past, I've fractured a person's mind into various personalities. It was actually quite an interesting experiment. This time, however, I'll get a rather practical test, to see if my experiments with the human mind were worth the trouble," he replied. He looked around for a moment before his finger rested on a button, which he immediately pushed.

"I'm curious to see what you've released."

"You will in time, my dear. Now, don't you have research to return to? I'm certain that Dragon Formula you wish to complete misses you," he mused, earning a nod from the woman, who hastily left the room.

"_The game has finally begun. It only took one push in the right direction. I'm certain the end results will be worth the effort. I have full confidence the coming days will be interesting. Good luck, my dear subjects," _

_**xxx**_

**Location: Dark Forest **

**Time: 3:25 PM**

**Date: August 2****nd****2020**

"Hey Kiki, you've been pretty silent since the trial. Are you doing alright?" Shiro spoke, grabbing the performer's attention.

The group had been walking through the woods for awhile. Diego had decided to take the lead of the group, along with Eris. That left Daisuke in the back, covering the others with his own firearm. Mackenzie had decided to stick close to him and Charlotte, leaving Shiro and Miyaki as the last members of their little group. Haruna had found it easier to stick to the same groups she had created at the Foundation Site. It was a system that worked well for everyone. Even Lars had decided to join a team if only temporarily, muttering things about cretins and not dying under his breath.

"What do you want her to say? She just found out what that sick bastard did with her body," Ashton said, crossing his arms as he walked. The Treant was stomping loudly as he walked, leaving imprints of his feet in the wet mud.

"I don't blame her for staying silent. Finding out something like that would mess you up. Especially if you saw some hogs eating you and your friends."

"It isn't that, it's just." Miyaki paused, looking at her bionic leg. "The fact that my friend's bodies were mutilated. That I have their body parts on me. Look at my arm," she said, holding her right arm up.

"It's stitched all around," Mackenzie noticed.

"Not to mention, her face and shoulders are paler. This arm's skin tone is a little darker, and has a few freckles on it," Daisuke noticed.

"Yes...I'm certain this is Mallory's arm. I probably have Rene's lungs inside me, Mikhail's bowels, who knows that the fuck else. I'm a monster!"

"No, no you aren't. I'm a monster, the huge ass tree is a monster. You are just a broken girl." Charlotte said firmly, ignoring Ashton's glare. Despite his attitude, his expression softened a bit. "Look at me, my sides have gills. My legs turn into a fish tail when I get wet,"

"I got wings sweetie. They weigh a ton and are super fucking sore." Mariana said firmly.

"I got snakes on my head, who are constantly biting my ear lobes," Eris added.

"I don't even know what they did to me. But I can say this Miyaki, you are not a monster. I'm sorry that you died on the moon. I'm sorry that you are here on this island of horrors. But you shouldn't be sorry about being alive," Daisuke said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You got to come back. You can use your life, your skills, to bring happiness back to this broken world. You can live Miyaki, you can live for them. For the people who's organs gave you this gift. Don't squander it,"

"Heh...you speak as if I'm getting out of this island alive," she mumbled. Shiro giggled, placing her interlaced hands behind her back.

"It'll be okay Kiki! We'll all get out of here alive! I just know it!" she sad cheerfully.

"Mhmm... and when we do we van visit Norway! I'm certain you'll love my home. It's just such a beautiful place!" Mackenzie said.

"Oh, you can visit my family in Africa! We live in Kenya...it isn't the best place but, my dryad powers will help out! I'll be able to grow plants and crops and feed the people! I hope that you'll visit when my home flourishes!" Dalila said happily.

"Hehe, you're right guys...I'd love to see your homes. Maybe I can get in contact with a friend of mine. He owns a circus! The same one I was a part of. Though I'm not sure if he lived through the Tragedy. We were in stasis when we woke up on the moon. Come to think of it, I don't even know what year it is."

"It's 2020, August 2nd in fact," Haruna said firmly, earning a wide-eyed look from the blonde.

"I...I see."

"It's a hard thing to get used to, but I'm sure you'll be fine. Try not to focus on it too hard," Daisuke said earning a nod from the performer. Diego suddenly stopped, causing everyone to freeze in place. He looked around for a moment, glancing over his shoulder.

"I heard something, be on your guard."

"Wait, do you think I should bring it out?" Riku said, gesturing to his large duffle bag. Daisuke shook his head, pulling the slide of his gun back.

"Don't, we might need that for later. Diego, stay here and keep an eye on everyone. Miyaki you're with me, remember what I told you about your gun. It's ambidextrous, but be careful of the rapid fire."

"Alright, I'll be careful," she said, reaching behind her back for the MP5 she had grabbed. She switched to select fire, following after the young man.

"I'll hold the fort here Dais, be careful," Charlotte said flipping her pan around.

The two pressed forward, going into the treeline. Daisuke loosened his grip a bit on his pistol as he walked, scanning the wilds. The wind started blowing softly, rustling the canopy high above him. He almost felt the glare that he was being given. He didn't know who or what was watching him. But he knew it wasn't friendly. Miyaki felt it as well, the girl shuddering a bit as she squeezed her machine gun. He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a small smile.

"Just breathe, I'll cover you."

"I know, I'm just a little scared. After the execution, I can't help but feel like we're on the chopping block," she replied.

"Can't say I disagree with you," he mumbled.

He made it to what looked like a clearing. He featured several picnic tables, all of them looking a bit worn down as if they hadn't been used for years. There was a fire-pit nearby, which had long since been abandoned. He sighed, turning to face the circus performer.

"We can make camp here. We weren't able to find sleeping bags, but the tents we brought should suffice. It feels like another storm is coming though," he said, peeking through the trees. The pale blue skies were once again swirling with gray clouds.

"Daisuke, be honest with me. Do you think we'll actually make it out of here alive?"

The storyteller looked down, seeing the distraught look on Miyaki's face. She had lowered her gun, glancing at one of the nearby trees. He spotted a carving on the bark. A J and a Y surrounded by a heart. She didn't know why, but that made her even more nervous.

"I'm not sure. But I will try my damnedest to get everyone out of here. There's a debt I have to settle with someone. And I'm not leaving this island until I get my payment."

"Y-you aren't secretly a serial killer are you?"

"Pfft...me? Nah. I've made many mistakes in my life, but I'm not a killer. Though I will admit, I've killed in the past." he admitted, slumping his shoulders. "Despair twists the minds of the weak. They become feral beasts, unlike themselves. They attack, they are relentless. I've had to take down my fair share of despaired victims in the past. Sometimes when I blink, I can see their faces,"

"Well that's depressing," the woman quipped, earning a chuckle from the man.

"Yeah, yeah it is. We should get the others here. We're about do for a break anyway," he said, heading back toward the clearing entrance. A loud screech filled his ears, causing him to turn around. He let out a scream, just as he was tackled to the ground by something.

It was a small, violet furred creature, with big ears and a tan colored face. It had a long violet tail with a tan colored fist at the end. It screeched in his face, snapping its jaws at him. The young man grabbed it by its shoulders, pulling it away from his face.

"MIYAKI!" he shouted, trying and failing to push the creature away.

"I'm sorry! If I shoot I might hit you!" the girl cried. She looked around for a second, before resorting to the only thing that had come to mind. She grabbed her gun and slung it off her shoulder, swinging the weapon at the creature by its strap, sending it flying. Daisuke scrambled for his gun, popping three rounds into the creature.

"What the hell is going on?! We heard screaming!" Diego cried, having run into the clearing, followed by a few of the others. He looked at the feral creature, eyes widening a bit. "The fuck is that?"

Daisuke didn't answer, grabbing the shotgun from the man's hands. He pumped it back, loading a round into the chamber. The wounded creature stood up, screeching loudly at the storyteller. He jumped forward, only for its head to be blown clean off. Its limp mangled body struck the ground with a sickening squelch.

"You ever hah...you ever see Detective Pikachu?" the older man said, panting a bit as he looked at the young Latino. He shook his head, eyes trailing back to the body of the creature. "That was a feral Aipom. I didn't think Jibo had made more Pokemon," he said.

"Jesus Christ. You were almost killed by a small monkey? Pfft." Lars said, holding back his chuckles. "You loser! Aipom's stats are garbage!"

"I wouldn't say that too loudly. Who knows, maybe there's an Ambipom around, ready to shove its Focus Punches right in your ass," the man spat angrily.

"Did you hear that? I heard voices over here!" a male voice suddenly said. The group stiffened, as rustling could be heard from the nearby tree line. Daisuke whipped around, cocking his shotgun and aiming it right in the face of a young man, who let out a scared yelp. "Don't shoot! I'm friendly!" he squeaked, arms flying above his head.

"Well next time voice yourself, before someone blows your fucking head off!" Ashton snapped angrily at the boy.

He was a short young man, wearing a bright crimson tee shirt, along with matching cargo shorts and worn looking sneakers. He had lightly tanned skin and bright colored eyes. His blackish purple hair was hidden under his backward baseball cap, a long fleck poking from the hole, partially covering his left eye. He had visible scratches on his arms and legs, his shirt being covered in dirt.

"Man, you have no idea how relieved I am to find you all. I've been looking for other people. For awhile now, in fact!"

"Tch...well, you succeeded kid. Now beat it, we don't want you here with us,"

"Ashton! No need to be so rude to him, he could use our help!" Dalila scolded, earning a sigh from the treant. He glared at the much shorter woman.

"Right...let it be known that Isabella's killer is still out there. For all we know, this sorry schmuck could be it."

"What? First, you point a shotgun at me and now you blame me of killing someone? Really? I don't even know you!" the boy cried.

"Just ignore him. He's a bit of a dickhead, if anything you've got nothing to worry about. He's all bark and no bite," Daisuke said.

"Ha, bark...get it, because he's a tree?" Shiro said, elbowing Ashton who just glared at her. She swallowed hard, backing away from the man.

"Anyway, let me be the first to introduce myself. My name is Miyaki Hanao. Former Ultimate Circus Performer. It's nice to meet you," she said happily. Daisuke noticed her attitude had shifted a bit when she had introduced herself but didn't question it. The boy looked at her in confusion.

"Hah? Ultimate? Oh right. My name is Ethan Gold, Ultimate Cryomancer! It's great to meet you all too!" he said happily.

"The fuck is cryomancer?"

"Someone who controls Ice I think," Diego said, answering Mariana's question. The dragon nodded, feeling a bit dumb when she had heard the answer.

"_Fire and Ice huh? A bad combination to be had, it seems." _she thought to herself.

"I feel a little more welcome now. Though I can tell you've been through hell. I...I won't ask," the boy said sheepishly. His frown shifted into a smile. "Oh, maybe I should introduce my friend! She saved my ass from being killed earlier. We've been wondering around for hours since we woke up."

"Friend?" Daisuke asked wearily.

"Mhmm! Wait here, I'll bring her back," he said, disappearing behind the tree line. Ashton lowered himself a bit closer to Daisuke.

"If I were you, I'd get ready to shoot. Who knows what the hell is out there?" he said.

"He's not wrong. This kid could be trouble, we should be wary of him," Diego said firmly. The storyteller nodded, the sound of rustling making everyone jump. Miyaki raised her gun slightly, ready to shoot just in case. Ethan walked back into the clearing, holding a bag in his hands.

"Sorry, my bag got stuck in the branches. Anyway, here she is. My savior!" the boy said, pointing over his shoulder.

There stood a short young woman, being about four foot eleven, with long strawberry blonde locks, reaching down to her waist. She had far colored skin, and soft features, bright eyes, a small button nose, and full lips. Despite her body size, she had a very large bust, with matching wide hips. She was wearing a loose fitting white shirt, with a few grass and soil stains. A pair of black shorts adorned her lower half, reaching down to her mid-thigh. She wore a pair of black combat boots on her feet. Her left hand was covered by a black leather glove, which she was fidgeting with. While the others seemed curious about the girl, there was one man who was surprised by her appearance.

"N-no, it can't be,"

"Daisuke?" Diego asked as the young man dropped his shotgun.

"You shouldn't be here! You left the moon safe and sound!" he exclaimed. The girl just looked at him confused.

"I'm sorry, have we met before? I don't believe we've ever had an encounter,"

"No, I never met you. But I saw the killing games you were in. What are you doing here?" he asked again. The girl just looked at him confused and saddened.

"Y-you saw that? That horrible game where all of my friends died? Where my one true love was executed, where the girl I came to see as a little sister was hung from a tree?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Daisuke said, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"You saw the game right? Then you saw what they did to Hayate? To Shiori? To Xialyn. To my friends! Even Ringo... I was...I can't even!" the girl cried out, breaking into tears. Her legs buckled as she dropped to her knees, placing her face in her eyes.

Their focus on the crying girl, none of them saw the figure hiding in the shadows, initiating the second phase of the killing game...

_**xxx(We Lucky Few: Epilogue End)xxx**_

**_Surviving Subjects 24? _**

**A/N: Jesus, I'm about to be reamed, aren't I? You just killed off 2 people, and you brought back two? Guys, I get it...but this just gives us more victims to torture.**

**But yes, I did introduce some new characters to our story. A new face and an old face? Why? Because I can! And because I wanna throw you all for a loop. I do so love this game of ours. This just makes it that much better for everyone haha!**

**Shoutout to Jeptwin, who submitted Jose. I forgot to say this in the last chapter, but thank you for submitting. I know it's hard to lose a character. In all honesty, I didn't know who to kill first. It was a hard choice, I love this entire cast. It's why I decided to go with the Sacrificial Clause, and put it in the hands of another person. I couldn't do it myself. But I assure you, the kid games stop now. I will adhere to the Danganronpa Code of Honor, and kill those that need to be killed, lol.**

**Shoutout to Crit Fail for being awesome and giving me so much leeway in this story. Couldn't do it without you being awesome haha. Now that we've left the first arc, I can promise it's all downhill from here. Or is it uphill? I'm not certain. Eh, oh well. I guess I'll see ya next time.**

**Next time: **

Shiro: "Are you fucking kidding me? Why'd they bring her here?"

Daisuke: "Because she's cute and popular. You're just jealous because your role of the cute short girl was taken from you!"

Shiro: "Hey! I am both the cutest short girl and the cutest short boy! So I'm the winner in both categories!"

Daisuke: "Yeah, but she's been in more stories than you soo..."

Shiro: "Oh, I get it. You have the hots for her, don't you? I see...here I thought you still loved me. You totally loved when I sucked your-"

Daisuke: "Can we not?"

Shiro: "You kissed a boy and you liked it, the taste of his cherry chapstick."

Daisuke: "Fucking Christ, RIKU! Get the shotgun!"


	14. Isle of the Damned Omake 1: Maids

Hora Island Picture Show

Omake 1

Maids

_(But it's actually a chapter where everyone just chills and has fluffy moments!)_

_**(Takes place in a universe where House of Horrors ended with 6 survivors. Syd is dead, and there is no escape from the island. A hologram of Jibo initiated "Project Revival" releasing clones of the deceased participants onto the island, with the condition that the survivors live there for the rest of their lives)**_

_**xxx**_

**Location: Mansion (Daisuke's bedroom)**

**Time: 10:31 AM**

**Date: April 14****th ****2021**

It was odd to see the sun shining brightly over Hora Island. After everything that had occurred here, the remaining residents found solace in the fact that they no longer had to worry. Their lives were safe and peaceful. After all of the bloodshed on the island, the curse had been broken. The spirits had left, all supernatural entities had moved on. And yet, the island was still a hotbed of activity.

The once haunted mansion had now become a sort of camp for the ones that remained behind. After the Killing Game ended, the remaining 8 survivors had been given a choice. Return to the real world, and leave the souls of their friends behind. Or remain on the island forever, living with clones created by Jibo. The vote had been hard, but it was a decision they made together. Thus, their fate had been sealed. It had taken some time to get used to, but now that it was early spring, things had settled down enough for normal life to resume. As normal as a bunch of monsters and former subjects could get. Despite that, they all lived happy content lives. Daisuke sat in his room, jotting something down in his storybook. He frowned as he looked at his writing, it didn't pack the same punch as before. The Ultimate Storyteller didn't feel like writing anymore. It was as if his need to tell as story had disappeared. His focus was on something else entirely.

His thoughts were on one of his friends. A young lady that had lived through the hell of the first killing game. A victim that had been brought back by his joint sacrifice during the final vote. It was someone who he had gotten rather close to during that game, many months ago. And now, it was someone who rarely left his thoughts. He sighed, placing a hand on one of the dried pages, frowning as he read the first few lines.

"_In that moment, we had been given a choice. The remaining 8 subjects would leave the island forever. However, the curse would remain active and the souls of their deceased friends would be tortured for eternity. However, if we chose to remain behind. To sacrifice our lives, they would not only be brought back to life using Jibo's cloning tech. But, the curse would be lifted. The island would be shrouded forever, unable to be reached by anyone from the outside. It was a choice that would change our lives, but one that we needed to make. For the sake of the ones we lost, finally getting to rest from their torment," _

"Ugh, that sounds so bland. Am I losing my touch? Has all the supernatural horror really killed my mood?" the young man said to himself. He narrowed his eyes. "Am I turning into Alejandra?"

"Talking to yourself again Dais?"

The storyteller looked away from his book, facing the Ultimate Vampire, who had suddenly appeared in his room. Akeno hadn't changed much since the end of the killing game. She was among the 8 survivors that had remained behind. Her playful nature still remained, though she had stopped most of her previous antics. It was as if the child in her had become an adult. It was a result of what happened during the killing game.

One of the things Jibo had neglected to tell them was the fact that the clones weren't gonna act the same. One of the stipulations when putting their souls back, was that their memories of the killing game would be erased. It was odd at first, seeing all of their deceased friends acting differently. It hurt even more for people who had intimate relationships with them. Ariana was still getting used to not being with Nozomi, despite being heavily pregnant at the moment. For those who had died in the first game, it had been different. They had full memories of everything until their deaths. Since they were deemed failures, Jibo had decided to leave them their memories. As a constant reminder of how useless they truly were. He looked away from the vampire, eyeing the glimmering blue skies.

"I think I'm losing my touch Akeno. My writing doesn't seem moving anymore. I don't know what it is but," he paused, glancing down at his book. "Ever since these games started, all I've been doing is documenting them. I felt like, this was a story that needed to be told. To be preserved for generations ahead of us. But now that I can't leave...I feel useless,"

Akeno took a seat beside the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. The Queen of the Night had noticed his change in demeanor in the last few months. She had noticed his spark of writing and telling stories was slowly leaving him. Though it wasn't caused by the end of the killing game. It was caused by something else, and she knew it.

"It's about her isn't it? Thinking about your own mortality again?"

"When I agreed to that vote, I didn't do it for myself. I did it for everyone else. I wanted Aria to have Nozomi back, I wanted you to have Alexander back. I wasn't expecting Jibo to fuck with us. Even beyond the grave the bastard knows how to pull a fast one," he said with a chuckle. "I thought that was it. I wasn't expecting Miyaki to be among them,"

"You must really have the hots for the circus girl. Especially with that request you asked of me," the vampire said seriously.

"I'm still considering it. The clones were given those regenerative cells. Their cellular degradation is nearly non existent. They'll live forever, never leaving this island. I wonder if that was his intended plan all along. His superior race, living in one place. Never to be touched by the rest of humanity, preserved until the end of time,"

"Who knows really? I certainly don't. There are things about the killing game that are still foreign to us. Everything that was revealed in the final trial was hidden away when Syd left. We're at peace, that's what matters most. Even if some of us are different," she said. Daisuke took a hold of her hand, giving her a small appreciative smile. Despite how cold it was, he wasn't bothered.

"I must be putting a lot of pressure on you right now. Asking something like this out of you...I'm a selfish person."

"You aren't...I offered the same choice to the other humans. I can't be the Queen of Vampires if there are no vampires to rule right? There's a lot of livestock on this island. Not only that, the machines are still producing synthetic blood. We'll be fine," Akeno said cheerfully.

"I-I know..."

"Daisuke...are you afraid?" the redhead asked, noticing how tense the man had become.

"I'm not scared of death. It is the natural end of all life, just another adventure that we've all gotta face. I'm scared of _dying_. I don't want to die in pain. I have vivid memories of those executions. They'll forever haunt me. All of that suffering, their screams of pain...I just..." the man paused, panting a bit. Akeno fanned his face a bit with her hand, her crimson lips curving into a frown.

"It isn't going to hurt. In fact, it'll feel euphoric."

"Really?"

"No...not at all." Akeno said, rapidly denying his question.

"That makes me even more scared!"

"Relax, it was a joke. You've been so tense. It's funny to think this is all because of a girl. Tell me, if it was back during the killing game. Would you have gone the extra step? Tossed your life away without a care in the world?"

"I might have...if it meant saving someone I cared about. She wasn't here before. But now..." he remained silent, looking away from the woman. Akeno stood up from her seat, turning to face the boy. She gave him a grin, opening her mouth to say something when he stopped her. "Tell me you aren't gonna break into song?"

"What? No...this isn't a Disney musical. Though I must admit, this island's weird quirk of playing appropriately timed music is odd." she said, placing a finger on her chin. "Anyway, I had a thought. You just have to tell Miyaki how you feel right?"

"I...I guess,"

"Then why don't we do that now? Tell her how you feel and then if she returns your feelings, you take the plunge! I'll get a nice servant out of it too! What do ya say?" the girl asked, holding her hand out. The man snapped his tome closed.

"I say no. I'd rather take care of that myself,"

"But Daisuke...we both know you're too scared to do it!"

"Akeno please...it's just...something I gotta do okay?" he pleaded, earning a sigh from the girl. She turned away from him, giving him a nod.

"Fine, fine. I suppose you are right. But what about Shiro?"

"What _about _Shiro?"

"Well I mean...ever since Mackenzie came back, she's been acting weird. You said she's acting more like she did during the first game. Shiro was a survivor, so his mind is different," the vampire said.

"I fail to see what you are trying to insinuate,"

"Ugh...what I mean to say is, you like Shiro!"

"But I don't." Daisuke said, quickly denying her claim.

"Fufufu," the girl laughed, covering her glossy lips with her hand. "Yes you do. If I recall correctly, you had a crush on him when you still thought he was a _she._If that's the case, what's stopping you now?"

"The fact that I'm into chicks?" Daisuke said, shrugging his shoulders with an incredulous look on his face.

"Pfft...non-sense. Shiro looks like a girl and dresses like a girl. I mean, that was enough to have him wrap you around his finger right?"

"This conversation is over," the man said, standing up from his bed. He walked toward his wardrobe, grabbing a hold of his black trench coat, slipping it onto his body.

"Ugh, you are no fun. Still, if you do want to take the plunge, come talk to me at Sundown. I'm going to see if I can talk to Alexander. If I can find him that is," she said, giving him a forced smile. She bowed her head briefly, sweeping her arm as she turned into her bat form.

Daisuke watched her go, rolling his eyes as she flew away. It was about a second or two after that he heard a soft _ping _followed by a light _plop. _As if something had collided with glass.

"Whoops, sorry Akeno. I forgot to open that window!" the voice of Shiro said, ringing through the hall. The boy swallowed hard, quickly heading toward the window. He threw it open, jumping out just as the Former Executioner walked into the room.

"Huh...I was hoping he'd still be here. Oh well, I'll give him his outfit later," he said, shrugging his shoulders before leaving the room. From the window, Daisuke sighed, gritting his teeth as the strength in his fingertips waned.

"Ugh...I swear Shiro is going to be the end of me," he mumbled, as he started pulling himself back up.

_**xxx**_

**Location: Hora Beach (Treeline)**

**Time: 2:00 PM**

**Date: April 14****th ****2021**

"Maya?"

"Hmm? Is something wrong Chase?" the dragon tamer asked, glancing up at her beloved.

The werewolf looked around the surrounding woods, taking in all of the sprouting leaves. It was mid spring, and all of the trees were growing their leaves. The grass was starting to brighten up, and the weather was becoming warm again. The cold was something that never bothered the man. He tightened his grip around the young woman, placing his hand over her swelling stomach. She was six months pregnant with their first child. He had found out shortly after the final trial. He had decided then and there to take Maya as his mate, and take responsibility for his baby. Now that the island was peaceful, he had no doubts they'd have happy lives there. However, just because it was peaceful didn't mean he didn't have his doubts.

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like to raise our kid off this island?" he asked. The young woman frowned, not meeting his eyes.

"Yes...I do. I'd like for my child to grow up in society, surrounded by the things we grew up with. But a part of me is also glad." she said softly. "A lot of evil things happened on this island. But all of that despair was caused by bad people. I kind of like knowing this island is unreachable,"

"So, you are truly okay with this?" he asked. Maya sat up a bit, glancing around for a moment. She noticed Henry was sleeping nearby. The dragon had grown in the last few months, and now spent most of his time snoozing when he had the chance.

"I am. Besides, now that the game is over, Syd granted me bionic legs. I can run and play with our kids all I want. Most of all, I can take walks on the beach with you," she said, giving the man a kiss on the cheek.

"I suppose, and it is safer here. If I do end up changing on nights when the full moon is out, I have a lot of land to cover. There's no risk in harming anyone," he said.

"You won't though. The last few times, you've been very careful. I think you've got full control over that side of you now. Besides, I know you'd never hurt any of us. You care about us too much," Maya replied happily. He sighed, leaning back against the tree. The breeze picked up slightly, carrying with it the scent of the nearby ocean.

"You know...I always did want to retire to an island once I was old. I wanted to write my stories by the beach. It was always a relaxing thought,"

"Well, now you can write all of the romance novels you'd like. I'm sure you can get plenty of inspiration! Our ragtag group could inspire some characters, methinks," Chase said.

"Mhmm...I'm already working on a new one. Ariana's knowledge on folklore has been a huge help! I can definitely promise you something good!"

Chase smiled, leaning down and taking Maya's lips. She moaned, grabbing a hold of his head, pushing herself against his body. She matched his moments perfectly, moaning slightly as he slipped his tongue past her lips. She guided his hand toward one of her breasts, making the man smirk.

"Aha! There you two are!" the voice of Shiro said, jolting the two from their moment.

"H-hello Shiro...is something the matter?" Maya asked, an embarrassed flush appearing over her cheeks.

"Man, you two already got a bun in the oven yet here you are getting frisky." he said, shaking his head. He reached into the bag strapped to his shoulder, pulling something out. "Here ya are! Custom made just for you two!"

"Uh...thanks?" Chase said, looking at the plastic wrapped articles of clothing. Maya on the other hand squealed.

"Yes! This is that maid outfit you were planning on making isn't it?"

"Yep! I made it to your specifications Maya! I'm sure you'll get a lot of use out of it." he said cheerfully. He leaned in, cupping his hands around her ear. "I made it from special fabric. Spunk washes right out, no stains!"

"O-oh~"

"You do know I can hear what you are saying right?" the werewolf said, quirking a brow as he stared at the two.

"That's why I didn't make it a secret," Shiro said, giving him a wink. He patted the bag, spinning on his heel. "We're having a bit of a party later. I'm keeping to my side of the bargain after all. Oh and if you see Dais, can ya tell him I'm looking for him? He's pulled a Houdini on me today,"

"Sure thing Shi, thanks for the outfit! I'll be sure to wear it to the party!" Maya said happily, as she waved at the gyaru. Chase furrowed his brows, looking at his wife.

"There's a maid party going on today?"

"Mhmm...and you are invited. We're trying to get the guys to wear dresses, just for fun."

"Yeah, screw that noise. I'm not getting into a dress," the man said, chuckling as he looked away from the young woman. She puffed her cheeks out, glaring at him.

"You owe me mister. Remember two days ago when you ate my waffles?"

"I did that? I don't remember. Whoo look at the time," he said, gesturing to his non existent watch. "I gotta hit the old dusty trail. Uh...Brooke asked me to paint her boat, see ya."

"One, you don't have a watch. And two, there are no boats here. What the hell are you gonna paint?" Maya snapped. She sighed, shaking her head. "I thought you loved me. Surely you can put a dress on for a few hours,"

"What? Of course I love you!" he cried out. He grumbled, muttering swears under his dress. "Fine, I'll wear the dress. No garters!"

"Yay! I love you sweetie!" she said, giving the man a fearsome kiss. He grabbed a hold of one of her legs, being careful not to his her swollen belly. He kissed her roughly, giggling in delight.

Henry snored loudly, turning over in his sleep. The actions of his best friend going unnoticed by his blissful dreams.

_**xxx**_

**Location: Courtyard (Mansion)**

**Time: 2:45 PM**

**Date: April 14****th ****2021**

"Do you ever wonder what's going on outside the island?" Haruna asked softly. Miya looked up from her video game, meeting eyes with the Former Supreme Hostess.

She was wearing a rather well made French maid outfit. Hers had been custom made, rather than having sleeves, it was completely sleeveless. It had been made with thin breathable fabric. She had a frilly silky white apron over it, pushed slightly forward by her bust. The dress reached down to her knees, her luscious legs being covered by pure white stockings, and black Mary-Janes. Her hands were adorned with white gloves.

Like the hostess, the Former S-Class Missing Persons Investigator was wearing a matching dress. Her apron was adorned with small Pokemon patches, along with embroidered legendary Pokemon, as well as a picture of Professor Layton. She was wearied black and white stropped knee socks with black converse sneakers. Her hair, normally in braids, was loose and free flowing, blowing slightly in the wind.

"Sometimes," the girl replied, her attention going back to her video game. She mashed the A button repeatedly, a small frown on her face. "When we came back to get Daisuke, I didn't think we'd get caught in all of this."

"You're telling me. After what we went through, I never thought I'd return here. Losing Reukra was hard enough for me. But hearing about what happened here after we left? The victims of the second game, of the third?" Haruna sighed, shaking her head. "My apologies, I shouldn't have asked that. I have a tendency to bring the mood down,"

"Nah, you're fine." the purplette said, sighing as she closed her DS. "I should have invested in a charging pack. I'm sick of having to run inside."

"Haru, Miya! There you two are!"

The two women looked over their shoulders, spotting Miyaki at the entrance to the mansion. She waved to them happily, shortening the distance between them. The girls had been sitting at the edge of the fountain, long since shut off as it would have frozen during the winter season. The Former Ultimate Circus Performer stopped before the two, panting a bit from her light jog.

"Good afternoon Miyaki. I see you've taken to Master Shiro's dress?" the hostess said. Miyaki giggled, twirling in her maid outfit.

"Of course! I look totally cute in it. He even added the circus themed patterns on it. It came out so good." she said cheerfully. She tugged on her jacket. "Look at the jacket! He put a Ferris Wheel on it, and it lights up and everything!" she said, pressing a button on her wrist. She turned around, showing them the back of the jacket, with the name Miyaki Hanao blinking in bright colors.

"That's so sick. Maybe I should ask him for a jacket?"

"I'm sure Shiro would love to do it. He has quite a lot of time on his hands now," Haruna said.

"Anyway, I just wanted to see what you were up to. Everyone is doing different things now. Charlotte is off trying to get used to her tail and teaching Seisha how to swim. Kitai is playing with Alpha somewhere around the clock tower and Teleios is surveying the island again." the girl said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. She sat down beside Miya, stretching her legs out. Her bionic one gleamed brightly in the light. "Mackenzie is painting Hora Castle with Ibb. Sabishi and Remy are making out somewhere and I haven't seen Dais all day,"

"Oh, I'm sure Daisuke is hiding from Shiro." Miya said absentmindedly, as she poked a beetle that was crawling around the fountain.

"Why would he hide from Shiro?" Miyaki asked, tilting her head in confusion. "Did I miss something?"

"You totally missed Shiro having a thing for Dais," the smug voice of Lars said, as he entered the courtyard. The three girls looked up, watching the Former Demonologist striding forward. He had a smirk on his face, his pace exuding a maximum amount of swag unprecedented by the residents of Hora Island.

"I missed...what?" the blonde girl said. Lars groaned, shaking his head as he looked away.

"I swear, you are either really dense or really blonde," he said. He took a breath, meeting eyes with Miyaki. "Shiro still has a thing for Daisuke. From way back during the first game."

"Mhmm...but that's because Mr. Del Rio is a manwhore. Or would it be a whore whore in this case since Shiro is a man?" Miya asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. I must admit, Daisuke does have a charm to him that he doesn't realize. Perhaps he's the Ultimate Charmer instead of the Ultimate Storyteller? I mean, he does have a way with words sometimes." Haruna said, flushing slightly.

"I will admit, when he handed me that Cherokee Rose back during the first game, I did ponder kissing him. Charlotte would have probably killed me. But Charlotte isn't the same isn't she?" Miyaki asked.

"None of us are the same. From what we we were told, we're just fakes. Fakes with the souls of the real us in our bodies. We remember everything up to our deaths. Can't say I didn't deserve it for being a total dick but...hey, new me right?" Lars said, giving the girls a smile.

"I mean, you were a huge douche nozzle," Miya said.

"The biggest," added Miyaki.

"Super huge,"

"Alright, I get it. Jesus Christ... no need to all gang up on me. Whatever the case, Shiro is probably having issues. I mean, I did read the reports in the library. All of them are up to date right?"

"Yes ...Mackenzie did die in the killing game, and she was brought back. She remembers everything just until she fell to despair. So she doesn't remember her relationship with Shiro." Haruna concurred, earning a nod from the Former Demonologist.

"Actually, if I remember correctly, she only remembers everything up to the 3rdclass trial of the first game." Miya said, snapping her DS closed with a sigh. "We all know she and Shiro got together after we left Silent Hill. In a rather...saucy get up," she replied, flushing red.

"Uh...I think I remember that. The broom closet right? In that small town right after we crossed the swamps?" Lars asked.

"Yep, that's the one. Man, so many weird things happened to us here didn't they?" Miyaki asked, a fond smile on her face. The breeze picked up a bit, ruffling her jacket. "Still, I gotta wonder...what drove you two to come back here?"

"Closure mostly. I wanted to say goodbye to Reukra. I wasn't expecting to return to this island and never leave," Haruna said, rubbing her neck. "I find it odd that the victims of the second game weren't brought back. Just Sabishi and Brooke,"

"That's because their souls moved on, trust me. My soul was hanging around here for a long time. I only met Shawn Wagner, the Scarecrow. Everyone else had vanished from this realm. Even Eris," Lars said, frowning slightly. "I kind of miss her stone cold wit,"

"Heh, get it? Because she's a gorgon?" Miya asked, earning a glare from the three. She swallowed hard, lowering her gaze. "Sorry,"

"So Franken-Girl, you gonna tell the man how you feel?" Lars asked, turning his attention to Miyaki. "After all, you returned too. Your soul got to come back twice. Must be special if that's the case,"

"I... I dunno," the girl said, rubbing her arm in embarrassment. "I think he still likes Charlotte. Despite everything that happened. S-Sonia is still here too, and I know she likes him as well,"

"Seriously, what is up with him being liked by so many girl? Like, is it his swagger? His mojo?" Miya cried out, a look of disbelief on her face.

"What, is he Austin Powers?"

"At this rate, I wouldn't doubt it. Maybe when he was brought here, Jibo injected him with some shit. That bastard did have a way with women, despite how fucked in the head he was," Lars admitted with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm gonna head to the library to read. I miss the goddamned internet. I want to see if Japoka updated her website, of course the WIFI reception is ass here. See ya," he said, finally taking his leave. The doors to the mansion closed with a resounding slam.

"Hmm...is it possible for one man to not only have the affections of another man, but three girls as well?" Miyaki suddenly asked.

"Four, gotta count Kenzie in that equation,"

"Shit, you're right. I don't have a chance do I?" the blonde said with a frown.

"Actually you do!" Haruna said happily, causing the girl to smile. She was absolutely beaming. "You have a snowballs chance in hell, which is better than zero at the very least,"

"Gee, how reassuring," the girl replied with a roll of her eyes.

**_xxx_**

**Location: Hora Castle **

**Time: 3:00 PM**

**Date: April 14****th ****2021**

"I always wanted to paint this castle, I'm so happy I get to have that chance now," Mackenzie said happily, as she dabbed her brush into her water cup. Once it was cleaned off, she dipped it in the gray paint and started to paint her sketch.

"It's a nice day, isn't it Samuel?" Kiyomi asked, turning to the Hunter who stood nearby. Hora Castle rested near a cliff side, far enough from danger. The man stood nearby, glancing out into the endless span of ocean, at the world he could never return to.

"Sam?"

"Hmm? Apologies dear, what was the question?" the hunter asked, turning to face

"It wasn't that important," she said, sighing slightly. "So uh...you like my dress?"

Samuel gave her a once over, smiling slightly. Much like the other girls, Kiyomi was in a maid outfit. In fact, he remembered it as being the same one that she had worn during their killing game. The same one that she had worn when she lost her bet to Daisuke. The Former Ultimate Paranormal Investigator flushed, especially when she noticed where his gaze was. He realized what he had been doing and quickly looked away, coughing into his hand.

"Ahem...you look beautiful Kiyomi. You look good in anything you wear,"

"Mr. Botha is a perv," Mackenzie said, glaring at the man, nose scrounged up a bit. Samuel clicked his tongue, glancing away from the painter.

"Why do you want to paint this castle anyway? I don't remember ever coming here," he asked curiously. "It better not be because someone died here,"

"What are you implying? I'd rather paint beautiful things. This castle is from the 13thCentury. Apparently, a wealthy king once lived in Hora Island, before it had become cursed. I didn't get the chance to paint it the last time we were here," the girl replied, turning her attention back to the canvas.

"This was the site of the 4thclass trial of the first game though. Doesn't it bother you that you are painting this?" Kiyomi asked curiously. Mackenzie stopped mid stroke, frowning slightly.

"It...it does," she said softly. "I was told of what I did...how I used to paint the bodies of the victims. How I relished in each scene. I've looked through the gallery back home... I don't ever remember doing that,"

"We know...Jibo explained it to us...rather his hologram did. Certain aspects of your memories were altered entirely." Samuel explained, earning a soft nod from the painter. She brushed some hair behind her ear, glancing out into the ocean.

"I suppose that's a good thing...I don't want to remember how I died,"

"It was ...gruesome. Your original body is intact, buried in the cemetary, but still...I'd rather not remember those times." Kiyomi said firmly. She sat down next to Mackenzie, in the spare wooden stool they had brought. "Teach me to paint?"

"I doubt you'll be any good, but I'd love too. I want to be friends with you all. Even if you hate me," she said.

"I ...I don't hate you,"

"Do you mean that Samuel?"

"Yeah ...can't say I ever truly did. I was just n...angry, at despair, at the world I guess. Let's just say, Daisuke convinced me to think otherwise. He saw through the despair, and saw you and Shiro." he said, rubbing his neck. "I guess if someone like him can see the good in you, then I can do it as well. Despite what you've done in the past...nay...what the other _you _did. Suffice it to see, the Mackenzie before me is not the one I met, back in the middle of October."

"I can teach you how to draw if you'd like. I can't express myself with words sometimes, but since I got my new talent ...painting has been my escape. It can be yours too," Mackenzie said happily, handing the man a blank sketchbook. He smiled, sitting down beside Kiyomi.

"Alright kiddo...let's draw this castle,"

"Hey Kenzie... do you ever think about Shiro?"

"Hmm? Why would you ask me that Yomi?" the girl casually replied, once again dipping her brush into her paint. "He survived the killing game didn't he? That means he's still in despair,"

"The two of you were inseparable back in the day. Hell, the day you died we found out you were pregnant." Samuel said, his focus on his pad.

"I...I was what? With Shiro's?" the blonde flushed slightly, brush clattering to the ground. "Me and Shiro d-did that?"

"Oh yeah, and bragged about it too. Sometimes I wonder, how far along would you be if you hadn't died? You and Maya would probably be around the same size. Ariana is only about to burst because she has a little demon inside her,"

"Yeah, literally," the hunter said, feverishly erasing his drawing. He pulled the sheet off completely, crumpling it and tossing it into the nearby bag. "Still makes me wonder how Nozomi managed to pull that off,"

"Succubi have the ability to turn into their partner's desired sexual orientation. Basically, she has the power to alter her look depending on what Ariana likes. And since Ariana is Ariana, she likes what she likes," Kiyomi said.

"That's both specific and vague at the same time...I can't explain why." Mackenzie said, earning a giggle from the Paranormal Investigator.

"Speak of the devil, here her comes," Sam said, tensing up a bit as Shiro approached them. Her gave them a small wave, pausing when he met eyes with Mackenzie. The Former Ultimate Painter became a bit tense at his appearance.

"H-hey S-Shiro. W-what brings you here?"

"I just wanted to check on you guys. I brought you all some lunch! Don't worry, I didn't poison it. Sebastian made it for you all, and I was gonna come by anyway." he said, handing the painter the basket he had brought along.

"Thanks Shiro, I was beginning to feel peckish." Kiyomi said gratefully. Shiro smiled, tugging slightly on her dress. He looked it over carefully, humming to himself.

"Seems like you've grown a bit. I'll need to fix this when I can...especially the bust,"

"W-what? B-but I haven't grown there at all!"

"Yes you have, half a cup size, I can tell," the Former Executioner said, quirking a brow. "Trust me, I know titties like I know the back of my hand,"

"Ahem...perhaps we should save this talk for later?" Samuel asked, trying to remain composed. Shiro brushed past the two girls, looking directly into Samuel's eyes. His golden eyes were filled with mischievousness.

"So...how'd ya like to match your girl?"

"Excuse me?"

"I made matching dresses, duh! We're having a maid party later tonight and everyone is invited! No exceptions!" he said, reaching into his bag for a plastic wrapped outfit. He handed it to the hunter, a smile on his face. "I even made a special holster for your knife! Aren't I sweet?"

"No...not really. I'm not wearing this shit, so get it out your thick skull."

"Oh Sammy! Don't be like that...Shiro worked so hard. Besides, you owe me one," Kiyomi said, giving the man a smirk. "Last week, you wanted my waffles. I told you that you could have them if and only if you promised to owe me a favor. You readily accepted. So, I'd like to cash it in,"

"Kiyomi, babe...when you asked for that favor, I had thought you wanted to go out. You know? To the Winchester?" he said, reminding her of the Pub located in Silent Hill.

"Who takes their girlfriend out to a pub?" Mackenzie asked curiously. Her question went unanswered as Kiyomi sauntered forward, wiggling her hips a bit. She pressed a single digit into the center of his chest.

"If you don't put this outfit on tonight, then that means we won't get together, for a week."

"Oof...I feel sorry for ya bud," Shiro said with a laugh. Samuel glared at him and he shuddered, backing away.

"Okay...fine, I'll wear the damn dress. But just this once, and I get to burn it afterwards, understood?" the hunter asked. Kiyomi nodded, giving him a peck on the lips. Kiyomi swiftly turned around, secretly giving Shiro a thumbs up.

"Um...Kenzie?"

"Yes Shiro?" the painter asked curiously. Her cheeks flushed pink, already imagining what might have happened between them in the past. She started growing hot, despite the cool atmosphere.

"I'd really love it if you came to the party. We don't have them often, but it would mean the world to me. I know you don't remember our relationship, but you really did love my dresses," he said, reaching into his bag for another outfit. "This one is yours, I even made you a heart shaped tag,"

"I-" the girl paused for a moment, looking away. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask, thanks." he said, giving her a bow before turning away.

"W-wait! Shiro!"

"Hmm...something wrong Kenzie?" the boy asked, his black cored ponytail swinging around his shoulder.

"I don't know when I'll figure my feelings out but...don't be scared of moving on. I know there's someone you like on this island. I want you to be with them, until I'm ready to be with you, if at all. Don't betray your heart, okay?"

"I won't. Maybe you can join the three of us when you feel up for it!" he said happily, giving her a wave as he left. Mackenzie furrowed her brows, turning to Kiyomi and Samuel, who had equal looks of confusion.

"Three?"

**_xxx_**

**Location: Dalila's Tree**

**Time: 4:20 PM**

**Date: April 14****th ****2021**

"You know...it took awhile to get used to you guys being gone. It was such a ghastly scene you know? That execution still disturbs me to this day," Daisuke said, as he looked up at the large tree. It was the largest most beautiful tree that had ever grown. With long overhanging branches, covered in beautiful blooming flowers that seemed to glow.

The entire area around the tree was shrouded in darkness. It almost reminded him of the star tree from Dragon Tales. The small lights served to give the clearing a beautiful glow. A few picnic tables had been brought into the clearing, as they often times came to pay their respects or just enjoy the serenity. Three tomb stones had been placed in front of the large tree. One belonging to Dalila Wekesa, another belonging to Ashton Acercas and the final one belonging to Felix Mlynarz. Three of his friends that hadn't come back.

"There are times where I wonder if Ashton truly did want to come back. Then again, he was at peace when he died. He made amends for what he did," Mariana said, stretching her arms a bit. She beat her wings slightly, kicking up a few dried leaves. "Do you think that's the case?"

"Maybe...I don't exactly know what souls do after they die. It makes sense if he moved on when the curse was lifted. I think Jibo made an offer to them, and they turned it down."

"Hmm... that might be the case. At least I have Lars, now that he isn't a douche-bag," the manakete replied.

"How's that treating you?"

"It's nice. Now that he's not doing that 'Sins of the flesh, I hate humanity' bullshit," the woman said, flattening her shirt a bit. "We fucked last night, he has a dragon kink,"

"Oh nice!" Daisuke replied, looking away from the crimson haired woman, and back towards the large tree. "God, Dalila must be pissed off at us. We're talking about our sex lives right in front of her tree,"

"Yup. Last time you came here, she gave you a hug right? Almost broke your back?"

"Something like that. It's good that she's so kind with us. She was able to control all of the trees on the island. She made this island so beautiful, the plants are flourishing. It's as if...she gave her soul up so that she could give us a good home," Daisuke said, sniffling slightly. "I commend that... I truly hope her family are doing alright,"

"I'm sure they are. Listen Dais, I didn't ask you to come here for us to shoot the breeze. We can do that any day we'd like,"

"What is it that you want then?"

"It isn't what I want, shit I'll come out and say it. Why have you been avoiding Shiro?" she asked, earning a sigh from the man.

"I'd rather not talk about that."

"Daisuke, I'm only asking because I'm concerned. And because literally nothing interesting happens here. Seriously, me and Ale have bets going,"

"Why exactly?" the storyteller asked, an incredulous look on his face. "Are you so bored that you rely on us for entertainment?"

"Well there's no cable here. I can't watch my soaps man. Seriously, the only entertaining thing back in the day were the creatures that were prowling around. Now that it's all peaceful and shit, there's nothing to do. Even tether ball is boring," the woman said.

"Jesus, is this what I've been turned into? I form of entertainment? Well, it could be worse, I could be Hikyou," the man said with a shudder. He frowned, turning back to the tree.

"So, are you going to tell us?" the monotone voice of Alejandra asked, coming out from behind one of the shacks. She shortened the distance between the two, the brunette already holding a notebook and pen in her hands. "Please, be detailed. It might help me with my novel,"

"Okay...first, it isn't nice to hide and listen in on conversations, Señorita. Second, how is this supposed to help your _horror _novel?"

"Relationships are often times interlaced with horror, as we've all experienced. We all know the couples are often times the ones that go first. Admittedly, now that I've pondered it I can say that my talent is rather useless," she said with a pregnant pause. "After the horrors we lived here, I doubt my work could hold a candle to it,"

"That isn't-"

"No, it is," the horror writer said, cutting the man off. She sighed, turning away, her lengthy brown hair trailing behind her. "Look at us, we're shells of our former selves. I managed to live through to the end, and for what? My brother wasn't among the ones that returned. As much as I wanted it too. Freddy was right...I don't know what true fear is. That is...I didn't, until now,"

Mariana shared a look with Daisuke, confused as to what the woman was talking about. He shook his head, deciding to deal with the matter himself. "You're wrong Alejandra. We aren't shells of our former selves...we aren't anything really. We're just...shining stars in the large expanse of space," he said, turning to the tree.

"Dalila is our shining light. She guided us a lot when we were wondering around this island, you know? Diego was a firm leader. Even though I was the oldest one in our group. He stepped up to the plate, despite what Jibo had done to him. Dalila was his light. He never once stopped believing in the moment he'd see you again,"

"He's right. Whenever he was feeling down, she would inspire him to get back up and move. She did that for all of us. It's a shame that Diego didn't get to come back. But that's because he was at peace with himself. Rather, he was at peace because Dalila was happy. He wished to be with her. But it was probably too late for her, which is why he made his sacrifice," Mariana said firmly.

"I think...I think I know what my greatest fear is now. Acceptance...accepting things as they are. That hope and despair are two sides of the same coin. That life is fleeting, and our talents were just a fever dream. Accepting the fact that maybe...I'm just another worthless waste of life,"

"Alejandra Garcia por favor! No vengas hablar mierda al frente de mi amiga," Daisuke spat, glaring at the woman. He shook her shoulders a bit, looking into her eyes. "You and I both know that isn't true. If you thought your life meant nothing, you wouldn't have fought so hard like you did. You would have voted to leave this island, rather than stay with everyone forever,"

"I'm... scared of being alone,"

"But you aren't. That's the beauty of it...even now, these bodies that we've been given will last us forever. It was one final redeeming thing that Jibo gave us. It's a shame that not all of us came back...but we've at least got each other. Don't think about your mortality Alejandra, especially now that we've lived through this killing game," Mariana said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. She nodded firmly.

"Y-yeah, you're right. Besides, I'm sure I can evade death via other means." she mumbled. Her gaze turned to Daisuke, a small smile appearing on her face. "You didn't answer Mariana's question,"

"Yeah you didn't...so lover boy, why are you hiding from Shiro? And don't lie, Dalila will be super pissed if you do,"

"I'm hiding from him because..." he paused, glancing back at the large tree. The twinkling lights glittered a bit brighter, the star shaped blooms shimmering in the darkness. "Because I'm in love with Miyaki,"

"You are hiding from Shiro because you love Miyaki?" the horror writer asked.

"It's just..." he sighed audibly. "Maldicion. Look, it's like this. We bonded a lot during our time here. Miyaki was sort of my rock back in the first game. Shiro was like...that cute girl you'd do anything to protect, so I developed feelings for her. Then I found out she was a he and...you know what, I think I'll keep my mouth shut,"

"Oh...I see. You're questioning yourself not just in a moral sense, but in a sexual and religious way as well," Alejandra said, earning a nod from Mariana.

"Seems like it. He wouldn't be acting like this if that were the case,"

"No...it isn't about morals or religion!"

"Then what is it about?" the Mexican girl asked. "Because it looks to me like it is."

"Mi amor, mira me." the manakete said softly, causing the man to look at her. She placed a hand on his cheek, giving him a smile. "It's okay to feel conflicted. The world isn't as cut out as it was before. It's just us here. Neither God, nor Satan dictate us anymore. We're products of our own destiny,"

"It's exactly as she said. If you like girls, that's fine. If you like guys, that's fine too." Alejandra said.

"That isn't it." the man said firmly. He brushed some hair out of his eyes, looking down. "I can't like Shiro, I feel like I'm taking him away from Kenzie. You saw how in love they were,"

"So it is a moral dilemma." the writer said. "Tell me, has Mackenzie ever said anything about her relationship with Shiro?"

"Well no but... that isn't the point. Shiro and Mackenzie are my family...you all are. We've been through so much shit together that I feel like I'm backstabbing her." Daisuke said firmly.

"I mean ...you kind of are by not telling Shiro how you feel. You are leading him on in a sense. He wasn't himself after Mackenzie's death the first time. I think he's still recovering from that aspect. His mind is trying to bring back a sense of normalcy. Perhaps he believes that normalcy is being with you,"

"I agree with Alejandra. I believe that's what he wants most of all, normalcy. Until he and Mackenzie can work out their issues, if at all." the manakete said.

"I...guess I never thought of it that way. But what about my feelings for Miyaki? Those aren't going away you know,"

"Then tell her!"

Daisuke jolted a bit, whirling around to see the Empress of the Night standing behind him. She gave him a toothy grin, licking her pearly white fangs.

"Jeez, Akeno don't just pop up like that!" Mariana cried, clutching her heart. The vampire rolled her eyes, shortening the distance between herself and the storyteller.

"Sweetheart, we talked about this earlier today. You don't have to be scared. After all, look at the relationship me and Alexander have. He may be my servant, but I allow him to do as he wishes. If he wants to be with another woman, that is fine. He's extended the same courtesy to me," she admitted, giving him a grin. "In fact, I might drink some blood from a few of our other friends,"

"God, what is this island turning into? A fucking sex camp?" Mariana mumbled, earning a shrug from Alejandra.

"Seems like it, supernatural shit makes people super horny. I mean, have you been on the horror section of Pornhub? There's quite a lot of Freddy porn there."

"Daisuke Del Rio, you are free from the killing game. You are free to do whatever you want! So go on, tell Miyaki how you feel! Embrace your love with Shiro! Hell, invite Mackenzie into your room if you're worried about her. But don't bottle it up, trust me...bottling your feelings up will only lead you to despair." Akeno said firmly, uttering a sigh. "There's nothing worse, than being too late."

"Y-you're right. God, I've been such an idiot...here I've been worrying about this. When my retarded ass could have told the two of them how I felt!"

"You still can! Remember what I said this morning, I'll be waiting for you at Sundown. Your transformations will be beautiful! I'm certain you four will love each other for all eternity!" she said happily. Daisuke nodded, pulling the woman into the tightest hug humanly possible.

"Thank you Akeno! I can never repay you for this!"

"It's fine...you don't owe me anything. Besides, as your future Queen, it's my duty to worry about your problems! Now go get them tiger! I left something for ya under your pillow!" she said, urging him on. Daisuke nodded, swiftly leaving the clearing. Akeno reached into her satchel for her old journal, clicking the sparkly pink pen she had.

"April 14th, 2021, I have secured four subjects for my new kingdom. It demands quite a lot of attention. But as the Queen of the Vampires, I must focus on expanding my horizons. Not only will I fill this kingdom with my beautiful children of the night, but the children of my fellow friends. Tonight is a night of rejoicing,"

"Uh...Aki, what are you writing?" Mariana asked, causing the crimson haired beauty to look up.

"Hmm? Oh nothing my dears, nothing at all!" she said with a wink.

The two girls shared a look, not exactly knowing what the Queen of Vampires was planning. They decided it would be better not to ask. None of them noticed the figure slowly walking out of the clearing, a bright grin on their face.

_**xxx(End of Omake 1)xxx  
**_

**A/N: I need help...**

**Like...this was supposed to be a short omake... I had to split in half. I can't even... **

**The juicy part will be next chapter, so I apologize if that's what you were looking forward to. And if you aren't on the Discord and are reading this...wait until the next part is posted...apologies beforehand! **


	15. Isle of the Damned Omake 1 Part 2: Maids

**Warning: This bastard is a lemon. In fact, half if not 3/4 of this chapter is a lemon. You've been warned...perverts...**

Hora Island Picture Show

Omake 1 Part 2

_Daisuke wa Maid-sama_

**Location: Lake Hora**

**Time: 4:45 PM**

**Date: April 14****th, ****2021**

"Auntie Ari look! I can do flips now!" the excited voice of Kitai cried, as he quickly dove down. A second later he breached the surface, doing two perfect flips before landing in the water. "Didya see?" he cried, the second he came out of the water.

"I saw honey. Try to be careful okay? I trust that you are good with swimming, but we don't want you getting a concussion."

"Kay, come on Sora! Let's swim a bit further, I'll keep you safe!" the merman said, tugging on his friend's hand.

"U-uh...o-okay," the Extraterrestrial said, following after his friend.

Ariana smiled fondly at the two, resting a hand on her swollen belly. Her tails were flicking about lazily, ears perked up to listen to every single sound around them. Lake Hora was peaceful, but that didn't mean there weren't dangerous creatures still around. Thankfully, the Ultimate Samebito kept those creatures away from this particular lake, now that he could swim properly. Her ear twitched a bit at the sound of a large splash. Her gaze was instantly at one of the nearby boulders, where the Ultimate Siren was sitting, a smile on her face as the afternoon sun bathed over her skin.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself,"

"I am. It isn't every day that I get to sun myself, especially now that it's finally spring. You have no idea how frighteningly cold these waters get in the winter," Charlotte said. She pulled her tail out of the water, sending several errant drops in all directions, before dipping her fins again. "How are you doing Ariana? We haven't had the chance to talk in awhile,"

"I'm...doing better," the woman said firmly. Kitai's laughter brought her attention back to the lake. Seisha was being used a springboard, the two youngsters jumping into the deep waters around them.

"You're gonna be a great mom you know?"

"Why do you say that?" the kitsune said, shifting her gaze back towards the Siren. Charlotte shrugged, sweeping her pink locks over her shoulders.

"Just a gut feeling. You've been taking good care of the Minnow these past few months. Besides, I've heard you singing to your little one. Reading Cinderella and Snow White and a whole manner of fairy tales. You care deeply for your children, that's admirable,"

"Only because I have to step up. I'm only 20 years old, but now I've got an eternity before me. It's time to stop the kid games. Even then, these urges are only sated by my pregnancy. When I give birth to this little one, it'll come back with a vengeance." she said, frowning as she looked at the water's edge. "I don't think I can hold myself back, and without Zo...I dunno why I'll do,"

"Hmm...it's a shame, isn't it? That she doesn't remember a lick of what happened. Unlike me, who remembers every little detail, down to my last moments." the siren said, shuddering a bit. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to get all morbid there for a second,"

"After the shit, we've gone through...I don't blame ya. I've spoken to a few close friends. Maya has been very sweet, even asked Chase to help me out when the time comes. Akeno all but commanded Alexander to do the same. I can't do that to them...I can't just be a quick fuck whenever I get the urge,"

"You want to pursue something more, I take it?" Charlotte asked, earning a nod from the kitsune.

"I do. I just don't know who to approach...all of the single guys have been taken. I can't exactly be a harem girl either. It's just...very hard,"

"Why don't you talk to Nozomi about it? Sure, she doesn't remember your relationship together. But she has memories of the game right? That means you should be able to sway her, to fall in love all over again,"

"I dunno...I wouldn't want to put too much pressure on her. She's already having so many issues. The last thing I want is to add this to her plate." she said with a shake of her head. "What about you honey? Thinking of pursuing an old fling?" she asked, wiggling her brows.

"No...not exactly," Charlotte replied. She looked away, tugging on her black and white bikini top. The shivered a bit as the breeze picked up, carrying Kitai and Sora's laughter with it.

"The only man I've ever loved had to force himself to move on. He thought I was dead. Yet here I am, miraculously back to life. How do you think someone like that would take it?" she said with a laugh. "Besides, he's got a throng of girls after him. I wouldn't want to stack the deck,"

"Stack the deck? Sweetheart that is bullshit. If anything you were there from the beginning. You have to exert your dominance over the others!"

"You want me to exert my...Ariana, I'm not a fox. I can't just piss on a tree and claim it as mine," the siren cried. Ariana puffed her cheeks, her whisker marks distending a bit in annoyance.

"One time! One _fucking _time. I had to piss and I was too far from the house. Sheesh...and I wasn't marking territory,"

"Well, you did it standing up, like a professional. I half thought you had a dick between your legs," Charlotte said teasingly.

"Nope...I don't have a dick between my legs. But you want one between yours, don't you? Mmm...your nice slick hole being stretched to its limits by a cock. You dream of it every night, don't you? You horny mermaid,"

"Fuck off!"

"I'm just busting your balls sis, you did it to me just now. Consider us squared," Ariana said, brushing the woman off. Her gaze turned back to Kitai and Sora, who had been thrown into the air by Seisha, landing in the water with a large splash. "Still, the thought of more kids running around the island does fill me with glee,"

"Same here. I'd like to have a minnow of myself, maybe two...fill this lake with good sirens, not those evil ones from down the river. Ugh...Shelly is such a cunt! She called me fat!" the woman snapped angrily. She ran her hands down her sides. "Am I fat? Look at me and be honest? I'm the slimmest one here, except for maybe Kenzie and Sonia."

"Sweetie, I think she meant your rack," Ariana said. She reached into her basket, pulling out a pair of apples. She bit into one, crunching it loudly. "I gotta say, it's a fine pair. Almost as big as my own, apple?"

"Ugh...I hate those sirens so freaking much! I just wanna screech them to death," Charlotte said sigh a sigh. She held her hand out, catching the apple the kitsune had offered, biting into it roughly.

"Screw them...they're just jealous of those delicious mammaries you've got. Besides, they've said the same thing to me on countless occasions. Which reminds me, it's almost time for me to visit the World War 2 memorial," she munched on her apple. "Crazy isn't it? That I had a great uncle who passed away on this island. Probably why I was brought here initially,"

"It's funny how big the world is, and how small it is at the same time,"

"Mhmm..." Ariana said softly. She continued hungrily tearing into her apple. Once she was done she tossed the core, reaching into her basket for a dill pickle and a jar of Nutella. She dipped the green vegetable into the chocolate spread, before taking a bite out of it. "Ohh...it's so good,"

"God, you disgust me,"

"I'm fucking pregnant. What do you want me to do?" Ariana replied, licking her lips before taking another bite. The siren sighed, kicking her tail again. The refreshing spray of water made her sigh contently as she leaned back, closing her eyes. The song that Mackenzie had been listening to for the last few days flashed into her mind, her smile widening as she started to sing.

"_I'm sifting through the sand, sand, sand, sand  
Looking for pieces of broken hourglass  
Trying to get it all back  
Put it back together  
As if the time had never passed  
I know I should walk away, know I should walk away  
But I just want to let you break my brain  
And I can't seem to get a grip  
No, no matter how I live with it_

_These are the last blues, yeah  
The glow of the cities below lead us back  
To the places that we never should have left  
The last blues we're ever gonna have  
Let's see how deep we get  
The glow of the cities below lead us back  
To the places that we never should have left_

_The last, the last, the last, the last-"_

The Ultimate Siren paused mid-song when she felt someone's lips on hers. Her eyes widened in surprise, only to be blinded by a mass of black hair. She tasted chocolate on her tongue, mixed in with the subtle hint of vinegar and pickles. She hastily pulled away, wiping her arm across her lips.

"Ariana what the fuck?!"

"I'm sorry! You're singing was just so beautiful and alluring...I just...I had to kiss you!" the woman said, bowing her head slightly.

"Goddamn it, if I knew getting a singing voice would cost me this? I would have just gone back to Anchorage,"

"Don't act like you didn't like it," Ariana said, giving her friend a wink. She licked her lips, reaching for another chocolate covered pickle.

"I didn't, I like guys, not girls. Ugh...you make me feel weird sometimes. Save your kissing for when you get Zo back, she'll get the wrong idea if she catches us," the pinkette said, earning a sigh from Ariana, who turned her attention back to Kitai, Sora and Seisha.

"If she gives me a chance that is. Still, that doesn't mean I can't turn you to my side,"

"Ha, nice try. Unless you have a dick between your legs, I'm not letting you get near me."

"That can be arranged," the kitsune said, in a husky tone. Charlotte sighed, diving off the rock back into the lake. She was done listening to her friend and dealing with her antics. Ariana frowned, cupping her cheek as she crunched on her chocolate pickle.

_**xxx(Lemon Juice)xxx**_

**Location: Mansion (Daisuke's room)**

**Time: 5:20 PM**

**Date: April 14****th, ****2021**

"Why the heck did Shiro text me asking me to come here?" Miyaki mumbled, glancing at her cellphone.

"_Hey, Kiki~ Wouldja do me a solid and wait for me at Dais's room? I left it unlocked for you! Thanks, see ya soon~"_

"I really hope he doesn't mind me being here," the former circus performer said, glancing around the room. Much like the other guest rooms in the mansion, it was normal.

Nothing but a normal queen sized bed, a pair of dressers, a wardrobe and a writing desk. The storyteller had various books stacked neatly at the corner of the bed, along with various pieces of paper. She noticed a pair of ink bottles as well as some spare quills. Curiosity getting the better of her, she wondered over to the writing desk. She noticed the man's leather-bound story book sitting atop the desk. Opening it to a random page, she scanned the words, taking in the beauty of the man's writing.

"This is..." the young lady paused, as she sat down, pouring over the text before her. As she continued reading, her shimmering blue eyes trained on the words, widening with each second. Her cheeks slowly started turning pink. "Oh...oh my! I didn't think Daisuke was _this _detailed in his writing," she said softly.

She continued reading, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. Her legs started quivering slightly, hand flying to her nose, pinching it hard as she had felt a bit of blood start to trickle. She bit her lip, turning the page. She let out a gasp, pink blood gushing through her fingers. She slammed the book closed, reaching for the nearby box of tissues, wiping both her nose and her fingers. She was so focused on cleaning the blood from her nose that she didn't hear the door open.

"M-Miyaki?! What are you doing here?"

"D-D-Daisuke! It isn't what it looks like!" the blonde cried, backing into the table. She dropped her blood-soaked tissues to the floor, her hands still covered in pink.

"Did something happen? Why do you have a bloody nose?" the man asked, concerned as he closed the distance. Miyaki pressed herself against the table, trying and failing to keep her composure.

"I-I-I uh...stumbled and f-fell."

"You klutz...I thought I told you to wear flats inside instead of those slippers," he said, noticing the black heeled slippers on her feet. He grabbed a few more tissues, already wiping her face. "You should be careful,"

"T-thanks," she uttered in a small squeak. She just closed her eyes, allowing him to clean up her nose. After a few more seconds, he let go of her chin, tossing the tissues in the bin.

"So uh...what brings you to my room?" the man asked, as he turned away from the circus performer. His hand was shaking a bit, but he took a quick gulp of air, steeling his nerves.

"I...I dunno...I should just leave!" the girl hastily said, walking around him toward the door.

"No, Miyaki wait!" the boy called out, grabbing a hold of her hand. The girl stopped mid-stride, still not facing him. "I'm glad that you came...I need to tell you something,"

"O-oh?" she said, slowly turning her head. She met his eyes, swirling pools of blue filled with concerned. She noticed the sheepish look on his face as well, deciding to fully face him. "What's wrong Daisuke? You can tell me anything. You know that."

"I...I know. Listen...this is going to sound weird but, I've been holding something back for awhile. S-since our killing game in fact,"

"Now that you mention it, I have something I want to tell you too. But you can go first...yours seems a lot more important than mine." the girl said, giving him a smile.

"Alright ...here goes nothing," he said, though mostly to himself. He cleared his throat, releasing his hold on her hand. He tugged on his jacket, turning toward the window. "Um... It's more of a confession really,"

"A confession?" Miyaki asked, tilting her head slightly. Her heart started beating fast in her chest. She balled her hands, clutching them against her chest. _"__Is he...is he actually?"_

"Look...it's hard for me to say this. After what has happened on this island, the people that I've lost. It's become a lot harder for me to trust anyone. I told you about my fiancee, what she did to everyone in that space station. What happened here on the island. The fact that everyone I came to see as family was killed. E-even you...and Charlotte..."

"Daisuke...you don't have t-"

"No let me get this out!" he exclaimed, causing the girl to jump. He swiftly turned to face her. "Miyaki Hanao, I think you are amazing. From the moment we met, back when I was in Hope's Peak Academy. I always thought you were cute, but you were a little young for me. I was 4 years older than you at the time. You were so cheery and bubbly and just such a fun person to be around,"

He paused, brushing a hand through his hair, taking another breath. He clenched his teeth tightly, clutching his messenger bag's strap in a white-knuckled grasp.

"Then the Tragedy happened. You had been so happy to get your acceptance letter. You, Giselly, Shuhei and Erika were ecstatic. I couldn't help but be happy too. Only to be horrified about what happened, and how you were shot into space, then killed. It hit me so goddamn hard. Then...that bastard Jibo caught me...drugged me so I couldn't remember...and did all that shit to us. I had to watch you die a second time."

Miyaki remained silent during this, feeling the tears welling in her eyes. Just by his speech, she could tell how distraught he was. Even if it was just a recollection. She could feel all of his emotions, his sadness, his anger, his despair...most of all. She wanted to reach out, to hug him, but she was frozen in place, waiting for him to turn the next page. He shook his head, uttering a sigh.

"I feel like such a degenerate. Here I am talking about how I supposedly like you. But that isn't the truth either...the truth is I'm in love with you, and Shiro. She was funny, cute, bubbly...a part of me latched onto her, the same why that I did with you. It was as if a part of me had remembered what had happened to you. As if I had expected to see you die again. I did the same to Charlotte...leading her on and making her fall in love with me...only for her to die too. I don't even want to know what Sonia must be thinking." he said, a dark chuckle escaping his lips.

"Jesus Christ, I'm such a fucking asshole. Maybe I should just disappear somewhere."

A loud slap filled the room, lasting only for a second. The storyteller cringed, feeling a single tear roll down his cheek as he cupped it. Miyaki still had her arm stretched, glaring into his eyes. She was shaking in anger, a few errant tears falling from her face. She lowered her arm, instead using it to hug the man. She wrapped them around his neck, bringing him down a bit so she could squeeze him tightly.

"You dummy. There's no need to be ashamed...the killing game made us all think and behave differently. All of us were in a survival situation, not knowing when we were going to die. I can't say I didn't predict my second death. After getting my throat slashed in one game, I kind of expected it, hehe,"

"Kiki," the boy said softly. She smiled at the name, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"It's alright. I'm happy...happy that you were able to tell me how you felt. I've actually been meaning to do the same. I know how fond of Shiro you are. I could see it back then too."

"Wait...you like me back?" the man asked, confusion written in his voice. She giggled, rolling her eyes.

"I always have! I only spoke to Erika to get to know you...I wasn't expecting her to be such an awesome person. There were times I gave you both tickets to the circus just so I could see you. I thought your voice was smooth and dreamy...you have such a way with words,"

"I...thanks I guess?" Daisuke said, finally pulling away from the hug. She scrounged her nose a bit, giving him a cute annoyed look.

"Still, it isn't nice to keep those feelings bottled up. So right now, you are going to march out there and tell Shiro how you feel. Not just that, but Charlotte and Sonia as well. Hell, throw Mackenzie in there just because."

"Whoa wait a minute, now you are adding girls into the equation. Charlotte and I are just friends. I talk to her about everything days after the curse had been broken. She wanted to remain, friends, despite what happened. Sonia said the same, saying in time she'd find someone perfect for her,"

"It's kind of hard too...I mean we're stuck on this island for eternity," Miyaki said, pursing her lips a bit. "Anyway...I guess you just need to tell Shiro then. So...what about him is what attracted you?"

"Um...h-his personality?"

"What? That's so lame. Come on Daisuke, we're both adults here. You think he's cute right? He totally had you wrapped around his finger. How he wiggled his hips, tricked you into thinking he was a girl. Come on, admit it," the girl said teasingly.

"S-shut up! You thought he was a girl too!"

"Yeah I did until we went to the karaoke bar in Silent Hill and I saw his dick," the circus performer returned, placing a hand at her hips. "That was when I realized I had been duped. He sold that shit too, had cute panties and everything,"

"See? Then you can't say you weren't...wait the karaoke bar? You mean...during that time when you all put on those idol outfits?"

"Mhmm...that's when I found out she was a he...when did you find out?" she asked curiously. He sighed, flushing as he rubbed his neck.

"We got a bit drunk that night. He took me to the back room for a _private _lap dance. We ended up...m-making out for a bit. Shiro started getting frisky, and I started undoing his top. That's when I felt his uh...pistol on my thigh,"

"Hehehe..." she giggled, trying to hold it back.

"It isn't funny,"

"Shiro wouldn't stop bragging about that lap dance for the whole night. Back when we were at the hotel in the girl's dorms. Apparently you just shutdown, but the alcohol kept you numb. The next day you asked him and he told you it was just the alcohol talking."

"Yeah...at least until after the 3rd trial when I saw him pop a boner," Daisuke said, remembering that memory. He sighed, shaking his head. "I guess I should go look for him if only to keep my errant thoughts to a minimum,"

"Errant thoughts? Oh, Dais, you are so cute~" a familiar voice said. From the wardrobe, sauntered out the Former Executioner, grinning from ear to ear as he stood before the two. Daisuke's eyes widened in surprise, jaw dropping open.

"Y-you...you _heard _us?!"

"Duh! I was the one who invited Miyaki up here. I heard everything you said at Dalila's Clearing too. I managed to make it back here, tell Sebastian to stall for time, distract Miyaki and get up here." he said cheerfully.

"Oh Shiro, you look so cute in that maid outfit. I like your hair too, I'm so happy you decided to grow it out this time," the blonde said.

"Only because you and Kenzie helped me keep it nice, smooth and shiny," he replied with a smile. He walked forward, taking wide steps toward Daisuke's bed, reaching under his pillow. "Oh, my~ Akeno you naughty girl,"

"What? What did Akeno leave here?" Miyaki asked. Daisuke tried reaching for Shiro's hands, but he managed to evade, tossing the item to Miyaki, who caught it easily. Her face turned a bright shade a pink when she realized what it was.

"She planned ahead for us! And she wasn't the only one!" he cried happily. As if on cue, the bedroom door opened, revealing none other than the Former Ultimate Painter, who was clutching a canvas under her arm. She looked around the room, tilting her head curiously.

"Um...what's going on here?"

"Kenzie! So glad you could make it!" Shiro said excitedly. He ran up to her, carefully taking the painting and setting it down. "Remember that conversation that we had earlier?"

"Huh? Y-you m-mean about us?"

"Yuppers! That's the one. I just wanted to tell you how much you mean to me. Truly...you helped me cope with a lot during the first killing game. There is a lot of dark things I did, things that I'm not proud of. But there was one moment that made me so happy when you told me you were pregnant with my baby! I had so many plans, but you ended up being killed," he said, tone shifting a bit. "I was so lost... I didn't know what to do. But you were always in my heart, and Daisuke was there too... Mackenzie...I want to try again. I know you don't love me but,"

The painter took a hold of his face, pulling him into a kiss. Shiro didn't move, simply relishing in the action. Mackenzie pressed herself closer to him, placing her hands at his hips as she kissed him. She pulled away a second or so later, giving him a smile.

"It's fine. It's going to be hard to get used to something like this but...I do like the idea of having a baby with you,"

"You do? Good then let's get started right now!"

"Huh?" the girl squeaked, being taken aback by his statement. Miyaki and Daisuke shared a look, both still flushing at what was going on. Shiro walked over to the door, flicking the lock on, giving the three occupants a smirk.

"Kiki, be a dear and pull those blackout curtains down,"

"W-what? N-no...m-maybe we should leave Daisuke...I'm all for doing this but uh...maybe separately." the girl said firmly. Shiro rolled his eyes.

"As if I'd let you and Dais leave the room. He likes me, and he likes you. You were the one who added me and Mackenzie to your little train. So now you have to stay here for it," Shiro said matter of factly, in an annoyed tone.

"I don't think Shiro is going to let us go. Besides, after all of the shit the four of us have been going through, wouldn't you just want to have a night where we can just...have fun?" the storyteller asked, taking a hold of the Circus Performer's hand. She took a shaky breath, giving him a shy nod.

"I." the girl paused, closing her eyes for a brief moment. She mentally nodded, giving him a smile. "Yes,"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his. Daisuke pulled her close, hands on her hips as he kissed her back. After all of the things that had happened, everything that had taken place on the island. The young man was finally free to fully express himself to the woman he had fallen in love with. He matched her lip movements perfectly, every ounce of love pouring out in that single kiss. Miyaki pulled away from him, quickly looking away, rubbing her arm in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry,"

"Hmm...why? I did I do something wrong?" Daisuke asked, a frown on his face. She shook her head.

"N-no...it's just...Jibo remade me remember? I've got parts of everyone that died in the Lunar Base. Do you really want to be with someone like me?" she asked. Daisuke glanced at the girl, slightly confused.

"_Wait...I thought Miyaki was a clone...does she not know that?" _he thought. He glanced over at Shiro, who pressed his fingers to his lips. He quickly understood what he meant.

"Kiki, sweetheart...I don't give a shit right now. I love you for you...so stop worrying. I love you...bionic leg and all,"

"I...I'm so happy!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm so glad that you like him Kiki, but step aside, it's my turn!" Shiro said, pushing the circus performer away. He grabbed a hold of his bag strap, pulling him down to his level, placing a kiss on the taller man's lips.

"O-oh, he went for it," Mackenzie said softly, swallowing the lump in her throat, as she watched the former executioner assault the storyteller.

Shiro ended the kiss, licking his lips as he tugged on Daisuke's shirt. The brown haired Spaniard pulled his bag off his shoulder, setting it down on the floor, pulling his jacket off.

"You two, start kissing. We want Daisuke to be nice and hard right? And the best way to do that as to have to cute girls swapping spit with each other," the former executioner said, practically commanding the two girls.

"I-I've n-never kissed a g-girl. I've never kissed anyone." Mackenzie said shyly. Miyaki grabbed her jacket, slowly slipping out of it. She neatly folded it, placing it on top of the dresser.

"I haven't kissed a girl either, in fact, my first ever kiss was with Daisuke just now. We'll be fine okay? There's no use in being shy with things like this," she said.

"Okay. Then I'll do as Shiro asks...I've been thinking about this a lot. I want to have that relationship again. I-" she paused, glancing at Shiro who looked at her expectantly. "I want to be the mother of your children, I love you, Shi,"

"I love you too Kenzie, you have no idea how much I adore you!" the boy said, sniffling slightly.

Mackenzie smiled a bit, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. She tugged on her shirt a bit as if pondering her options. Finally, she decided to throw caution to the wind, pulling the garment over her head, tossing it aside. Her arm quickly flew to her chest, covering her small breasts, her face flushed dark pink.

"M-my breasts aren't that big, s-sorry."

"Hey, you can't help that. Just so you know, I think you have the cutest little buds I've ever seen!" Shiro said happily. He bit his lower lip, ogling the young woman's porcelain skin. Her long platinum blonde locks cascaded perfectly down her back, adding a hint of serenity to her already alluring charms.

"Well Kenzie, if you want to have Shiro's babies, you have to make him nice and hard. So let's get started, we have to tease our boys and make sure they're ready to satisfy us," Miyaki said, giving the girl a wink. Mackenzie eeped as the taller girl closed the distance between them. She let out a muffled moan as the circus performer nibbled on her lips.

Miyaki smirked inwardly, running her fingers through the painter's hair, tugging on it slightly. She ran her hand down the small of her back, her fingertips caressing her silky smooth skin. Her pulse quickened as she grabbed the hem of Miyaki's skirt. She wanted more of her, she didn't know why but she craved her. They pulled away to breathe, coming back for a second, more passionate kiss, tongues wrestling for dominance.

"Oh man, they're so fucking hot aren't they Dais? They're ours for the night, and the rest of our lives," Shiro said cheekily, jabbing the man in the side with his elbow. Daisuke said nothing, as he continued watching the two girls making out.

"Yeah...it's uh...getting steamy in here,"

"Yup yup!"

Shiro giggled, grabbing hold of Daisuke's belt, swiftly undoing it. He said nothing as the cute boy unzipped his pants. There was a part of him that wanted to tell him to stop. A part that argued against his morals and his teachings. But there was another part of him that just didn't care. He didn't care about the fact that Shiro was a man. He didn't care about what others thought. The outside world was dead to him, and he needed to let it go. He reached up for his shirt, swiftly unbuttoning it. A part of him was starting to become excited, his previous worries finally melting away.

"_This is gonna make some good material for my next novel!" _he thought excitedly.

His erect cock sprung out of his boxers. Shiro started at it with glee, the pulsing member moving slightly with each heartbeat. His mouth practically watered as his dainty gloved fingers wrapped around it. He gave it a few pumps, noticing the head was already slick with pre-cum. He glanced up at Daisuke, who was giving him a curious smirk. His golden eyes were filled with mischievousness.

"You're really hard Dais...are you excited?"

"What can I say? I got two cute girls kissing each other in the background, and I got a hot ladyboy with my dick in his hand. A part of me always liked traps,"

"I'm glad then. I'm happy that you find me cute Daisuke...I dunno what I would do if you didn't like me back," Shiro said, a serious tone in his voice. Daisuke smiled, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"I don't just like you sweetie, I love you. I always have, for a long time,"

Shiro shared another kiss with Daisuke, moaning and giggling happily as he kept stroking the man's length. Miyaki and Mackenzie had paused to breathe for a moment, watching the two lovingly kissing each other. Miyaki reached for her skirt's zipper, slowly pulling it down until she was just in her leotard. She ran her hands over the form-fitting fabric, her nether regions beginning to get soaked. Mackenzie meanwhile was unlacing her shoes, having reached for her pants to undo the button.

"K-Kiki...I need more," she breathed, her cheeks and collar turning a soft shade of red. She had a needy look on her face, her brow soaked in sweat. The blonde girl stared at her hungrily, as if she were a slab of meat at a butcher shop. "T-touch me,"

"Okay...if that's what you want Kenzie," the circus performer said, walking towards the girl. She knelt down to kiss her, running her fingers over the soft skin of her belly, sliding her hand under her white cotton panties. "Oh my, Kenzie you naughty girl. You are nice and wet for me already,"

"Hgn...your fingers feel so good Kiki...please, r-rub my clit." the painter said softly. Miyaki nodded, leaning in for another kiss. Her left hand tugged on one of her erect nipples, while her right toiled with her pussy. She rubbed circles around her clit, drenching her hands in her warm juices. Her cerulean eyes focused on Shiro and Daisuke, who were still making out.

"Well, that's enough of kissing. Time for me to get a taste of this juicy sausage,"

Without missing a beat, Shiro took the storyteller's length in his mouth. Daisuke groaned as he felt the boy work his shaft. He hummed as he pushed his bulbous head into the back of his throat, cupping his balls. Shiro made eye contact with him, releasing his meat with a soft pop. He breathed heavily, spreading his saliva all over Daisuke's shaft.

"You taste delicious Dais, I hope you like it."

"I uh... this is my first blowjob actually." the man said.

"First blowjob? Really? Then you need some more action! Kiki, Kenzie get over here!" the former executioner eagerly cried. Miyaki withdrew her hand from Kenzie's panties, giving her fingers a quick lick. The painter panted, her legs spread slightly as her cotton panties accenting her pussy lips.

Miyaki gave Daisuke a kiss, swirling her tongue around his for a moment. She pulled away, a trail of saliva connecting them briefly before she knelt down, taking his member into her mouth. Unlike Shiro who wanted to have a taste, the blonde circus performer went in for the pleasure. She bobbed her head slowly, swirling her tongue and working his shaft at the same time. Daisuke groaned, grabbing a hold of her side ponytail, gripping it hard.

"Kiki, your mouth feels so good!" the man said, through clenched teeth. She released her hold on his dick, jerking him off rapidly.

"I'm glad...I hope you enjoy it, my love," she said, cheeks flushed pink. Mackenzie slipped her fingers around Miyaki's clasping his dick, helping her stroke it. A small bead of pre-cum slowly came out, which she happily licked, darting her tongue across his glans.

The two continued to work the man's shaft, taking turns as they licked and stroked his throbbing length. Daisuke's mind went blank as they serviced him. Both his hands were placed lovingly on their heads, encouraging them to continue their ministrations. Miyaki slowly stood up, allowing Shiro to take her place. The cute boy slobbered and licked Daisuke's cock, taking his chance to make out with Mackenzie as they shared his length.

Miyaki, on the other hand, decided to become more proactive. She reached down to her vulva, her fingers tracing the outline over her sexual organ. She panted a bit, as she slowly undid the snaps that held her leotard together. She gave Daisuke a bit of a downward look, teasing him slightly.

"Will you touch me? Down there?" she asked in a husky tone.

Daisuke didn't answer, rather he let his hand do the talking. He reached for the gap between her legs, running his fingers over her waiting lips. She gasped, a sharp intake of air filling the air as he traced her pussy lips. The blonde was completely shaved, her swollen sex flushed red from arousal. He gently traced her privates, spreading her juices around her entrance. The soft musk that hit his nose made him even harder. He felt his toes curling up a bit in his shoes, a knot forming in his stomach.

"G-guys...I'm about to cum," he said.

"Oh? That's good! Allow me then!" Shiro said happily, wrapping her hand around his length. He had taken off his gloves, using Mackenzie's spit to work his shaft. Miyaki's soft mewls filled the air as the storyteller shoved his fingers inside her snatch, pulling them in and out at a fast pace.

She was already slick, no barrier to stop him from his assault. Shiro sped up his jerking, causing the man to growl in a feral rage. He didn't want to blow his load too early. He did everything he could to prevent himself from erupting, but all of his attempts were for naught. His groan was the signal Shiro needed. He shoved Daisuke's dick inside Mackenzie's mouth, her eyes widening as the man finally blew his load. Thick globs of the man's essence shot down her throat, pooling around the corners of her mouth. She tried not to gag, as she slowly started to swallow it. Shiro licked his lips, running his tongue across the corners of the painter's mouth before pulling her into a kiss, sharing the salty baby juice between themselves. He released his hold on the painter, a thin trail of saliva and semen still connecting them.

"Mmm...that was a huge load Dais, were you holding out on your nightly activities?"

"Not nut November." the man said simply.

"But it's April," Miyaki said, confusion written on her face.

"It's super sweet, I did see Daisuke eating lots of fruits this month," Mackenzie said, using her thumb to scoop up a bit of cum, licking it clean off.

"Heh, that's because I told Sebastian to feed him fruits in the morning. I've been planning this for awhile. Thing is, this one likes to avoid me," the former executioner said, puffing his cheeks as he glared at the storyteller.

"Hey, I was dealing with my own emotions! Whatever, can we continue? I'm starting to get bored." Daisuke replied, shrugging off his shirt, tossing it onto the floor. He took off his boots, followed by his pants.

"Someone's excited...how should we do this?" the circus performer asked.

"I got an idea!" Shiro said excitedly. He took a hold of Mackenzie's hand, pushing her down onto the bed. He placed his hands on her knees, giving her a firm look. "Kenzie, I'm gonna ask a serious question. Before we go any further, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Y-yes. I want you to make me yours," she replied, giving him a heartwarming smile. Taking that as his cue, he lowered his face to her vulva, wrapping his lips around her clit. The painter moaned as he slowly flicked her bean. He paused mid-lick, turning to Miyaki and Daisuke.

"Well...don't just stand there! I gotta get ready to take Mackenzie as my own."

"I think I know what he wants," Daisuke mumbled, earning a nod from the girl.

Steeling his nerves, the storyteller moved to where the two were laying. Shiro had all but grappled Mackenzie's leg, having buried his face deep in her muff, tongue feverishly pleasing the girl. He reached under his skirt, brushing his fingers over the lacy underwear, reaching inside for Shiro's erect dick.

Miyaki chewed on her bottom lip, watching as Daisuke withdrew the pulsing member from within. Their eyes widened a bit, seeing its sheer size. The Spaniard stared at it, almost jealously as he narrowed his eyes in slight annoyance.

"_This little shit is bigger than me. I knew he was packing but not this," _he thought, as he glanced at the shaved, eight and a half inch dick in his grasp. Miyaki knelt down, wrapping her hand around his balls. She spat onto her free hand, spreading it around Shiro's throbbing shaft, tracing his glans with her tongue.

Not wanting to be beaten by the blonde, Daisuke decided to take the plunge. He bit back his nerves, along with his reservations as he slid Shiro's pulsing cock past his lips. It was a foreign feeling. One that he, admittedly, found very arousing. He had never once imagined himself doing this kind of thing, but now he didn't care. All he wanted to do was service the boy he had fallen in love with.

"This is so hot," Miyaki mumbled to herself, watching the storyteller working Shiro's shaft. She could tell he was very inexperienced in it, but Shiro didn't seem to mind. His moans urging him on, causing Mackenzie to mewl in pleasure, as he continued licking her soft, silky folds.

The circus performer started feeling hot, reaching behind her back to undo the clasp of her leotard. She slipped her arms through the straps, pulling the garment clean off, leaving her completely nude, much like Mackenzie. Her B-cup breasts were nice and perky, she grabbed one of her nipples, pinching it lightly as she knelt down, taking Daisuke's dick into her mouth.

Her dainty hand wrapped around his shaft, as she started pumping him. He groaned a bit but continued licking Shiro's glans, sucking on his shaft as if it were a piece of candy. Shiro finally released Mackenzie's folds, taking a breath as he glanced down at his favorite storyteller. He grabbed a hold of his head, thrusting his dick into the back of his throat.

"Yeah, you take that dick, you dirty writer. I know you'll use this for that smutty story you're writing!" Daisuke's eyes widened, pulling Shiro's member from his mouth.

"Hah...don't do that!" he said, throat a bit hoarse from the sudden thrust. He continued jerking Shiro off, a smirk on his face. "It's my turn to make you blow your load you beautiful trap," he said, twisting his hand over his bulbous head.

"Hah-hah...D-Daisuke, I'm about to explode," Shiro said, clenching his eyes tightly. Daisuke wrapped his lips around his head, giving him a smirk as he started to suck. Shiro let out a cute groan, throwing his head back as he finally blew his load.

Daisuke continued sucking, making sure he got every single dribble of cum. Once he was sure he had it all, he pinned Shiro to the mattress, forcing his mouth open, slowly dripping the cum into it. Shiro could do nothing but accept it, drinking down the spunk that he had squirted into Daisuke's mouth.

"Oh Dais~ you sick bastard, dribbling my cum into my mouth like that. That's so hot~" the boy said in a husky tone. He pushed himself up, pressing his lips against the storyteller's, licking his lips eagerly. "Mmm, I taste better on you than I thought I would,"

"I'm feeling ignored," Miyaki said, crossing her arms with a huff.

"Then let's get the fun started! Where'd that baggie go?" Shiro asked, standing up from the bed. His dick was already hard, poking at his skirt. "It's over here," Mackenzie said, reaching for the nightstand. She held the baggie out, eyes widening a bit. A bottle of silicone based lube, simply called "Fire and Ice" was inside. Not only that, but she had given them several condoms as well.

"Well, she really wanted me to tell Miyaki how I felt huh?" Daisuke said, almost jokingly.

"If we intend to get our girls preggers, then we can't use these rubbers. I think she left them here for another reason," Shiro said, giving Daisuke a wink. He flushed a bit, his dick throbbing with excitement.

Miyaki took the baggie from Mackenzie's grasp, reaching into it for the lube. She opened the bottle, pouring a generous amount on her hand. She grabbed a hold of Daisuke's dick, slathering it with the lube. She gave the man a gentle push, making him fall back onto the bed. He pulled himself back a bit, as she climbed onto his lap.

"Moment of truth Daisuke, are you ready?" she asked softly. The storyteller gave her a nod, as she rubbed his bulbous tip against her snatch. She gave him one final kiss, before lowering herself onto his length.

She gasped, clenching her eyes as his dick spread her virgin walls apart. She reached up to her ponytail, pulling her scrunchy off, allowing her beautiful blonde hair to fall around her. Her left hand was firmly placed on his chest, sky blue nails digging into the soft flesh of his pectorals. Daisuke meanwhile kept his gaze firmly on her face. Her deep blue pools stared at him with love and lust. His hands firmly cupped her supple ass, he slowly thrust into her, a soft sigh leaving her lips.

"I'm not hurting you am I?" he asked, voice laced with concern.

"N-no. I'm okay...there's no need to be gentle, I can take it," she said lovingly.

At the same time, Shiro and Mackenzie were kissing, the two laying on the other side of the bed in a tangle of limbs. The gyaru pulled his hair out of his ponytail for a moment, fixing it behind his head before continuing. The painter below him gave him a lustful look, tracing his delicate feminine looking frame. He bent down, his lips hovering next to her ears.

"I'm going to do you like they do on the Discovery Channel," he said with a wink. Grabbing a bit of lube, he rubbed it on his member, making sure it was nice and wet. Without a second thought, he plunged his member into Kenzie's waiting snatch. She let out a cry, a bit of blood falling from her folds. "Shit, I'm sorry Kenzie, I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"It's fine Shiro. Y-you just surprised me,"

"I'm just...excited, is it okay if I start?" he asked, earning a nod from the painter. Shiro gave her a smile, taking a hold of her hand as he started thrusting into her, her soft cries of pleasure filling his ears. His other hand grabbed onto Daisuke's, squeezing it hard, clenching his teeth.

"Hgn...fuck, Kenzie you're so tight. I can feel every single one of your folds,"

"Miyaki, I don't think I can hold myself back," Daisuke said, panting hard as he slowed down his thrusts.

"Then don't. I told you, I'm ready for you," she said. He rapidly sat up, pushing the girl down onto her back. He grabbed a hold of her leg as he started pumping himself harder, his dick darting in and out of her vagina.

Miyaki's cries filled the room, her hands grabbing the bed sheets in a while knuckled grasp. Her whole body rocked with each thrust, the light creak of the bed mingling with her mewls of pleasure. It wasn't long before the circus performer hit her peak, hitting her climax with a scream, her mind went blank. Daisuke slowed down, watching entranced as his waist was soaked by Miyaki's fluids.

"Oh~ that feels so good~" she moaned, as he pulled out with a wet _schlulk_.

"Dais, have Kenzie clean you up. We can't waste that delicious honey!"

Daisuke nodded, moving over to Mackenzie, who's tongued was lulled out of her mouth. She opened her eyes, gasping a bit in surprise. Her hand wrapped around the storyteller's member, eagerly taking it in her mouth. She suckled on it, squeezing his balls softly as she cleaned Miyaki's orgasm off his shaft.

"K-Kenzie, I'm gonna cum again!" the man said. Miyaki eagerly sat up, whirling the man around so fast she jerked his dick from Mackenzie's mouth. The blonde beauty jerked the man off rapidly, rubbing his balls at the same time.

"I'm gonna make this load all mine! And I'm not sharing it!" she said excitedly.

"M-Miyaki!" the man said softly. He wrapped his hand around her ponytail, tugging it hard as she continued twisting her hand over his head. "H-here it comes!"

The blonde took his shaft into her mouth, just as he spurted his seed. Thick globs of goo shot deep into her throat, she swallowed every salty drop. Shiro let out a groan, pulling out of Mackenzie, squirting his goo all over her bare stomach. The painter watched every single glob shooting out of his head, landing softly on her smooth porcelain skin. He wasted no time, running his tongue over it, licking up every single drop. Daisuke and Miyaki joined in, causing her to giggle.

"S-stop it! You're making me laugh!"

"You're just so cute Kenzie! We have to make sure your skin is nice and clean. Besides, I heard cum is actually good for your skin," Daisuke said, giving the girl a brief kiss on the lips.

"It's your turn Dais, I'll give your girl a good ride. After this one, you're mine," Shiro said, giving the man a wink.

He finally took his dress off, pulling the zipper down and stepping out of it. Finally joining the others in their nudity, he grabbed a hold of Miyaki's rump, giving it a playful bite before making her get on all fours. The blonde watched him curiously, her big blue eyes focusing on his pulsing cock, as he slapped her cheeks with it. He gave her a wink, slowly pushing himself into her vaginal canal. She moaned, tilting her head back as he fully hilted himself.

Daisuke and Mackenzie watched for a few tense moments as the gyaru rammed his length into Miyaki's waiting snatch. Her cries of pleasure filled the room, as she buried her face in the bed sheets in front of her. The soft sounds of skin slapping skin overtook the cries for a moment as Shiro picked up speed. He ran his fingernails across Miyaki's back, leaving his mark on her ivory skin.

"Oh yeah, you dirty little circus freak. You like that huh? You like how I give you this dick?" he cried, slapping her milky ass with his open palm. Miyaki howled in pleasure, giving him a needy look.

"P-please Shiro...go faster,"

"I'm being out played here," Daisuke said with a frown. Mackenzie took a hold of his hand.

"C-can you do that with me Dais?"

"Yeah..." he shyly replied. Mackenzie smiled, climbing up onto the bed. She knelt down on all fours, spreading her legs for the boy, giving him the cutest smile she could muster. She wiggled her hips tauntingly, her dripping cunt begging to be pounded.

"Oh god, I feel so hot~" Miyaki cried between pants.

"It's the lube, it changes from cold to hot. That's why your delicious honey pot feels so nice and warm." Shiro replied, grabbing a hold of her arms. He pulled her to a standing position, still drilling her from behind. "I can't wait for Dais to drill you how I'm drilling you. You'll beg for his cock every night for the rest of your life,"

Deciding to ignore them, Daisuke felt it was time to attempt to sate his own lust. He inserted himself inside Mackenzie's waiting hole, her soft gasp making him shudder as he drove himself in. Her silky walls hugged his pulsing length. He could feel every single heartbeat, her pussy felt like a glove, keeping the warmth around his shaft.

He slowly pulled out of her, sliding himself back in. Mackenzie's soft squeaks filled his ears, making him flush in embarrassment and arousal. The small girl groaned, humming and crying with every single one of his thrusts. She glanced back at him, her violet eyes were filled with lust, wordlessly telling him to satisfy her basic carnal desires.

Daisuke quickly pulled out, much to her annoyance. She gave him a pout but said nothing as he lifted her off the bed, wrapping her legs around his waist. He shoved his dick back in her waiting pussy, her cry of surprise making him laugh a bit. She wrapped her arms around his neck, claiming his lips as her own, as he started thrusting into her.

"Hell yeah, look at them go!" Shiro cried, pausing mid stroke as he watched Mackenzie and Daisuke going at it.

"Muu...don't leave me here Shiro, I'm super close~"

"Kay, I'll finish you off real soon!" he said happily.

The four continued going at it, their cries of pleasure mingling with the sound of gratuitous sex. None of them realized they were being watched.

From the outside of the room, a certain Empress of the Night was peeking through the keyhole. It was wide enough for her to get a good view of everything that was going inside. Despite not having any flowing blood, she couldn't help but flush at what she was seeing. Her almost primal instincts were begging at her, urging her to tear open that door and get in on the action. But she held herself back. That didn't stop her from snaking her hand under her skirt, rubbing herself furiously. Thankfully, due to the Maid Party being held that night, no one was up in the guest hall. She had the pleasurable view all to herself.

"_I'm so glad I got them together. This is so hot, maybe next time me and Alex can join in. Fufufu...I wouldn't mind having that cute gyaru drilling me," _

She gasped a bit, watching the two men pull out of the girls, quickly switching between them. Daisuke reclaimed Miyaki, the peppy blonde wasting no time in hopping on his throbbing erection. They sat at the edge of the bed, the man thrusting so fast it was almost blinding. His balls slapped her milky ass. Shiro did the same, side fucking Mackenzie's tiny twat, her flushed sex was throbbing and aching with need. They continued thrusting into them, loud groans of pleasure filling the room as the two men filled their ladies to the brim with cum.

"H-holy s-shit," the vampire muttered, eye widening as she pressed herself against the keyhole. She was sure the outline was imprinted in her skin from how hard she had pressed herself against it.

Back inside the room, the foursome had been taking a breather from their gratuitous love making. Daisuke withdrew his cock from Miyaki's cavern, a bit of his cum dripping onto the side of her leg. He gave her a loving kiss, taking a hold of her face as he expressed his love. A few tears escaped the corners of her eyes as she kissed him back.

"Thank you Miyaki, for letting us do this,"

"N-no... I should be thanking the two of you. Holy shit that was amazing,"

"Hehehe...Shiro's cummed deep inside...I'm definitely having a baby now," Mackenzie said cheerfully. She gathered a bit of the cum dribbling out of her vagina, wrapping her tongue around her finger. "Mmm, it tastes so good."

Shiro giggled as he reached inside the baggie, pulling out one of the condoms that lay within. He pulled it out of the wrapper, rolling it onto his dick. On top of that, he poured a copious amount of lubricant on it. The two girls wondered how he was still hard after the cum grenade that had detonated inside Mackenzie's lovely folds.

"Now, for the desert. I wanted to satisfy the lovely ladies first, but I think I'd like a piece of cake for myself," he said, walking over to the storyteller.

He swallowed hard as he felt the gyaru's length prodding at his back side. Normally, he would have been screaming, most likely having pushed the boy away. But this time, he was rather excited, so much so that his flaccid cock sprung to life, surprising the two girls. He groaned as he felt his tight ass being spread by Shiro's length. A soft groan escaped the man, as the shorter boy slid himself in.

"_Aw, fuck. This feels good!"_

"Does it hurt Dais? We can slow down a bit if you want,"

"N-no...I'm fine," he said breathlessly.

"Oh look, he's enjoying it. How cute~" Miyaki said happily, as she sat back watching the man she loved getting pegged.

Despite their height difference, Shiro was still able to fully hilt himself. He slowly withdrew himself, only to push himself back in. It wasn't long before he set a bit of a rhythm. The two men go tired however, deciding it would better to lay down on the sweatsoaked, cum-drenched bed. Shiro grinned as he picked up speed, drilling the man of his affections as hard as he could.

"Oh yeah, your ass is so tight Dais, it feels so good around my dick," he moaned. His balls slapped against the storyteller's cheeks, making him groan in pleasure. "Someone work that cock of his, we need to give him an orgasm he'll never forget,"

"I-I'll go," Mackenzie said bravely. She positioned herself in front of Daisuke's throbbing cock, sliding it into her semen soaked cavern. A bit of cum squirted from inside, dribbling around the sheets. She started grinding herself against his man, hugging him tightly, allowing Shiro's thrusts to do the work for her.

Daisuke's mind had gone blank. He was in another world entirely, a place where evil didn't exist. It was a happy place filled with nothing but love. He felt Miyaki squeezing his hand tightly, giving him a loving look as he enjoyed his ride. He let out a loud groan as Shiro picked up speed, the boy giving it his all despite how visibly tired he was.

"Hah...come on Shiro...that all you got?" Daisuke said, egging him on.

"Oh~ Now you've done it!" Shiro cried, almost excitedly as he picked up speed, using one last burst of speed to edge himself forward. Daisuke bit his lip, his nails digging into Mackenzie's flesh, the girl's tongue lulled out of her mouth, panting almost like a Doberman in heat. He lifted up her head slightly, pulling her into a kiss.

"G-guys, I'm gonna cum!" Mackenzie cried out, her eyes widening as she felt that familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"So am I," Daisuke replied, having been clenching his teeth hard. It only took Shiro a few more thrusts for him to explode, his sperm shooting into the condom's reservoir. Daisuke gave a few more short thrusts, hitting his own orgasm.

His mind went blank as cum exploded from his dick, shooting deep inside Mackenzie's womb. Thick globs of cum that he never thought would come from him. Hell, he had thought after so many loads that he had gone empty. But the squirting baby juice coming from Mackenzie told him otherwise. Miyaki's soft mewls alerted him of her own climax, she had been fingering herself for awhile now. Finally satisfied, the four lay panting on the bed, glancing at the ceiling.

"That...that was awesome," Daisuke said softly. He felt Shiro slowly pulling himself out of his ass, his warmth finally leaving him. He was almost sad that it was gone.

"Glad you liked it. Next time, you can peg me~" Shiro said, giving him a wink.

"Hehehe...I'm definitely getting pregnant now. There's so much cum inside me...it might be Shiro's or it might be Daisuke's." Mackenzie said, patting her stomach.

"With all of the cum in that pussy of yours, I wouldn't doubt it if you got pregnant from both of them," Miyaki said jokingly, stretching her arms above her head. "Still, I wasn't expecting to have this much fun. I'm not opposed to doing this again. We are practically dating,"

"Yeah...I love you guys, seriously. This isn't just the sex talking either...I truly think we were all meant for each other. After all of the shit that happened during the killing game, I'm just glad I can have this little piece of heaven,"

"Aw, thanks, Dais!" Shiro said, giving the storyteller a firm kiss. "Next time though, I'm shooting my cum in your ass, not in a condom!"

"You failed to mention the fact that next time I'd be fucking you. So I might be the one shooting my load in your ass,"

"This is so hot," Miyaki said softly, a playful smile tugging at her lips. Mackenzie stood up, ignoring the fact that several ounces of cum were pouring from her shaved pussy.

"I'm gonna draw this...I need to draw this! I've been inspired!"

"Yeah well, draw it after we take a shower. Jesus, we all look like hell. Besides, we need to get ready for the maid party." Daisuke said, scrambling for his clothes. The four started getting dressed, keen on meeting up after a shower.

"Shit!" Akeno hissed, pushing herself away from the door. She spun around, rapidly turning into her bat form. She rapidly flapped away, toward the nearest window, only to slam into it. She fell down hard, shifting back to her human form.

"Gah! I should have opened this before I came here!" she cried out. She fiddled with the lock, throwing the window open. The door to Daisuke's room opened and she jumped out, grabbing a hold of the flower box on the other side. She grit her teeth, listening in for the foursome that happily chatted as they headed towards the bathroom.

"Phew, that was a close one," she said.

"M-my Queen! What are you doing up there?"

"Alexander?" Akeno mumbled as she glanced over her shoulder. The man she had once called a lover gave her an odd look. If she had flowing blood in her body, she'd have likely blushed.

"You're hanging from a flower box 50 feet off the ground. Are you alright?"

"Me? I'm fine! Peachy even...I was uh...smelling the flowers!"

"From the outside?" the man asked, tilting his head in curiosity. She merely giggled, kicking her legs a bit.

"Fufufu! This is just one of my many abilities! I can crawl on walls after all. Sometimes I have to get in real close to get the scent!"

"Right...anyway, I just came to remind you that the party is about to start. I had a lot of trouble finding you though. Do take care alright?"

"I will...thanks!"

Akeno watched the man go, frowning as she stared at the Forget-Me-Nots sitting before her. "Oh, Alex...if you hadn't done what you did...would we be just like Daisuke, Shiro, Kenzie and Miyaki? Happily in love? Or would it have not meant a thing to you?"

She sighed, letting go of the box, transforming into a bat. It was time for her to change for the party, as well as to prepare for the meeting she had scheduled with Daisuke.

**_xxx_**

**Location: Mansion (Courtyard)**

**Time: 7:20 PM**

**Date: April 14****th****, 2021**

The party was in full swing now, the entirety of the courtyard having been decorated by the former staff members. Long chains of lanterns had been placed around the place, giving the area a serene glow. Tables had been brought outside, housing a wide array of food and drink. There was a radio nearby, playing some music.

Though it was a maid party, most of the party-goers went in regular clothes. Some just didn't want to be forced into one of Shiro's outfits. For some of the girls, it had been rather easy. Sabishi had taken to it, wearing a beautiful French maid outfit that accented her curves. The former Undertaker had fully opened up, her previous attitude had changed as a result of the game. She and Remy had become a couple, despite her being so young. The man had decided he'd wait until she was of age before doing anything. Simply kissing was enough for the two.

Brooke was walking around, happily conversing with the others. The Gillanoid was free of her curse, no longer transforming into a large monster at night. It was a final saving grace that Syd had granted her, the ability to shift between forms without it being forced upon her. She had become a kinder person. Going as far as helping Charlotte teach Seisha how to swim, something the Samebito really enjoyed.

Reukra and Haruna were seen sitting together. The two were at the edge of the fountain, shooting the breeze. The former Hostess had a flush on her cheeks as the boy clutched her hand. It had been the cutest thing, especially whenever he gave her pecks on the cheek. He'd always shy back, apologizing profusely, despite Haruna enjoying the affection. The Duplicator had gained full control of his abilities and had one of his Duplicates helping out with the heavy lifting, while he spent some time with the object of his affections.

Shiro and Mackenzie were bouncing around the party, hand in hand as they sampled the food. Sebastian had kept an eye on them, especially after they wanted to spike the punch. The exasperated butler had tried and failed to keep them on a leash. It seemed as if Mackenzie's shy persona had been shattered, and she had started matching her boyfriend's playful nature. Despite that, whenever he kissed her, she froze up a flush on her cheeks.

Even Ariana had shown up to the party. She had been sitting in one of the recliners that Chase had brought out for her. She had one of her favorite storybooks in her lap, contently reading to Alpha, Kit and Seisha. Chase was, of course, sitting cross-legged on the floor, head in his hands, giving the kitsune his utmost attention. Maya couldn't help but smile, lovingly scratching Henry's head, the dragon cooing at her gentle touch.

Most of all, the one that was fully enjoying the ambiance was the storyteller himself. He had finally regained his spark in writing. It wasn't that he had been driven to do something from his sexual encounter. No...rather, he wanted to document the little things, so that they'd never forget them. Forever was a long time after all, and he wanted nothing more than to sit back and read those moments to the newer generations. He heard a few flaps nearby, feeling a slight pressure on his shoulders.

"Greetings Daisuke, it has been quite some time since we last spoke."

"Hello King, it has been awhile hasn't it?" he asked curiously, ruffling his feathers a bit. "How's the island looking? Anything out of place?"

"Can't say there is. Most of the creatures were destroyed during the purge. Nicholas Bailey still eludes me, however. I know not where he is,"

"We shouldn't worry about him, we'll find him and contain him somewhere. Besides, we don't know if he's still truly on the island," Daisuke replied, frowning a bit. Teleios nodded, giving the man a firm look.

"Has something happened? You seem to be in a chipper mood...ah...have you confessed to Miss Hanao?"

"N-not just her...actually," the storyteller said, rubbing his neck. Teleios followed his gaze, seeing Mackenzie and Shiro in the distance, both laughing at something. He let out a chuckle.

"Daisuke, you naughty dog. I knew there was a reason so many girls liked you back in Hope's Peak,"

"I guess it's just my Spanish charms!" he said jokingly. "You should mingle with the others. It's been awhile since they've seen you. Not only that, I have to meet with someone right now,"

"I see...well it's been a pleasure chatting Daisuke. I hope we can chat again soon," the gyrfalcon said, before taking off towards the party. Daisuke smiled warmly, turning around and heading down the path.

It was a brisk night, one of early spring. The cold of winter still lingered but the soft heat of spring was welcoming. Like a soft blanket, keeping a babe warm at night. He enjoyed these cool temperatures. It meant that Summer was on the horizon, and with it came the endless possibilities it bought. It had been a long time since he had gone to the beach and actually had some fun. Rather than waking up on one and being forced to be in a killing game.

He veered off the path slightly, heading towards the right. Dalila's Clearing was where he had decided to meet up with Akeno. It was a serene place, one that almost everyone came to enjoy. It was close to the mansion as well if anything happened. It didn't take long for him to appear there, the Empress of the Night stood facing away from him. Her gaze firmly on Dalila's beautiful tree. Her ear perked up, and she slowly turned around, giving him a welcoming smile.

"Hey, you~ How goes it?"

"I'm doing fine. Alexander told me he saw you hanging from a flower box earlier. Mind explaining why?"

"Fufufu! I apologize Daisuke, but I'm not going to reveal everything to you! I just wanted to smell the flowers. But what about you? Did you confess to Miyaki and Shiro?" she asked curiously. She was trying to hide the fact that she had witnessed it all. Thankfully, the man was none-the-wiser.

"Yes...I did in fact. Turns out Miyaki liked me back. Not only that, but Shiro is alright with us dating. Well...it's odd because we're in a relationship with Mackenzie too...you know what? It's hard to explain...just know that we're all happy,"

"Wonderful! I'm just so glad everything turned out alright!" she said, giving him a smile. "Now then, since you are here, that means you are finally accepting my offer?"

"I am. I'm ready to become...eternal," he said firmly.

"Eternal? What does that mean?" a familiar voice said. The two turned around, seeing Miyaki standing in the clearing. Daisuke became worried, not having expected her to show up.

"Miyaki! Good of you to come...I think I should explain what he means. Step up dear, he's doing this for you after all," she said. Miyaki furrowed her brows a bit as she stepped into the clearing. The star-shaped blooms on the tree serving to illuminate her face.

"Daisuke, I saw you leaving the party. Shiro and Mackenzie are distracted, so they didn't notice. What are you here for?"

"Kiki, babe I..." the man stopped, glancing at the ground. "It's about you, and how you were brought back to life,"

"Brought back to life...you mean how I'm made up of my friend's body parts?" she asked. He shook his head, taking a hold of her hand.

"No, that isn't it. It's how your body was remade...Jibo used special regenerative cells. Cells that keep replacing the dead ones as time goes on. These cells replicate at an alarming rate, keeping the body young and rejuvenated. Essentially, he made you and everyone else that came back immortal."

"Immortal? Are you sure about that?"

"He is, sweetheart. You happen to be a clone of the Miyaki that was here originally. Your soul is in this vessel. You have memories of the entire killing game, but it cuts off at a certain point, before your death. Much like the ones that died in the last game here," Akeno said. Her eyes widened a bit as she looked at her hands.

"I...is that why I don't have stitches anymore? Or why the slash across my throat is gone?"

"Yes...that's the reason why. The reason I didn't want to confess to you, was because of this. I'm only human Miyaki. Jibo did alter me, but not like the others. My time here is shorter than yours." he said, turning to Akeno. "But with her offer...I'll live just as long as you. We can be together for eternity,"

"I've spoken with Shiro and extended the offer to him as well. He's going to do it at a later date. He wished to spend time with Kenzie this evening." the vampire said. Miyaki remained silent, pondering what the two had just shared with her. She looked up, her eyes glossy with tears.

"You...you'd give your humanity, to be with someone like me?"

"I would...especially if it meant I can live an eternity with the most wonderful girl...woman, that I've ever met. Miyaki, I love you. One day, I'd like for you to be my wife...and the mother of my children," Daisuke said, giving her a smile. Miyaki burst into tears, throwing herself at the man, kissing him firmly.

"I love you...I love you! I love you, you big goof!"

"Fufufu~ He'd be helping me out, especially with my kingdom. He was the one who alluded to it once. I merely extended the invitation." Akeno said, glancing at the tree. "Besides...I lack servants, now that Alexander doesn't remember his relationship with me."

"I had thought he survived the game...what happened to him?" Miyaki asked curiously, wiping away her tears.

"I'd rather we didn't talk about it. The survivors of the game made a pact not to speak of it. Not only that, Alexander's memories were heavily altered so he wouldn't attempt anything like that again." Daisuke said firmly, tugging on his shirt. "He's hurt Akeno way too much already if he hurt her again...I think I'd kill him myself,"

"No no, none of that. I'm still working on pulling him back to my side, and if not then I think me and Miyaki here can arrange something," Akeno said licking her lips. "Now then, before I do this...are you 100% sure this is what you want?"

"It is. I'm ready, my Queen," Daisuke said, bowing to the crimson-haired woman. Akeno nodded, reaching behind her back, for the satchel she carried with her. She pulled out a large syringe, filled with a milky white substance, that looked almost like gelatin.

"This is my venom. When I drink blood from the others here, I don't inject venom into them. The last thing I want is to ruin their lives. However, I've been collecting it just in case. My bite will mark you as my servant. But the venom...it will transform you. You'll be beautiful," Akeno said, almost excitedly as she uncapped the syringe. Daisuke undid the collar of his shirt, exposing his neck to the woman.

"What's left of my human life, is in your hands Akeno. Thank you,"

The woman gave him a kiss on the cheek, before trailing down to his neck. She raced her tongue over his jugular vein as if teasing him slightly. She opened her mouth, taking a bite from his flesh. He let out a small gasp as her fangs pierced his skin. Akeno began drinking his blood, almost hungrily as the pink liquid slid down her throat. Daisuke sighed contently, the euphoric feeling nearly numbing his mind. That is until he felt a sharp stab in the center of his chest.

He looked down, seeing Akeno had withdrawn herself from his throat. The syringe was stabbed into his chest, the thick needle having pierced his heart. With one solid motion, she pressed the dropper down, pumping her venom into his body. He gave out a howl of pain as he fell to the ground, writhing in agony.

"What...what did you do to him?!" Miyaki cried.

"The effects of the venom are very strong. It is an agent that causes the most excruciating pain imaginable. It throws the body into shock, tearing apart every single nerve ending, ripping apart every muscle fiber, and turning it into something...different. I can't say it's disheartening. The path to becoming a creature of the night is a painful choice...it is one that I don't wish upon anyone," the woman said, there was a degree of seriousness in her voice Miyaki had never heard. Miyaki knelt down before the storyteller, grabbing a hold of his hand.

"It'll be a fine baby...the pain won't be for long. Just hang in there!" she cried, tears falling down her cheeks. Daisuke gave another soft cry, his convulsions slowing down until he became still. Akeno knelt down beside him, placing her hand around his neck.

"He's dead,"

"What...what?! You didn't tell me this would kill him!" the circus performer cried.

"For the venom to work, the subject must die. Remember...I am a vampire as well...it was exactly what I had to go through," Akeno said, wrapping her hand around Miyaki's. "It'll be fine...if he doesn't come back, you have my permission to do with me as you please,"

The two remained silent, not saying anything for what seemed like an eternity. Akeno kept periodically checking her watch. An hour had passed, then two, and three, and nothing had happened. She was beginning to wonder if she had injected too much venom into him. She swallowed hard, a look of worry appearing on her face. Miyaki didn't say anything, her focus solely on the storyteller's body. Her head was bowed, eyes closed as she prayed, with all of her heart that the man came back. She felt his fingers start wiggling, her eyes snapping open. She turned to Akeno, who had a grin on her face.

"Daisuke...can you hear me?" she asked firmly.

"Hgn...yeah," he said softly. He reached up to his eyes, rubbing them with the back of his hand. He forced himself to stand up, eyes opening for the first time in the last three hours. "Ugh...that sucked ass,"

"I'm just glad to have you back! I was so fucking worried! Don't you ever do that again you hear? Goddamn it!" Miyaki cried, hugging the man tightly, pecking his cheek repeatedly.

"Fufufu~ Welcome to the realm of the eternal, my sweet servant!" Akeno said, giving the man a wink. He gave her a smile, wrapping his arms around her in a bone-crushing hug, which made her squeak.

"Good to be here my queen!"

"Dais...too strong...you'll kill me," the girl said, as he released her.

"Whoops, didn't know my own strength there for a second," he said, rubbing his neck. Akeno shook her head, kneeling down to a more comfortable position.

"It's going to be rough for the first few days. Your body is still feeding on the blood that remains in your tissues. For the first year, you'll be insanely strong. So tone it down on the hugs. Second, controlling the urge to feed is going to be rough. Thankfully, I can help you through that. Third, sex is going to be a bit different for you. You'll be able to go for long periods of time since you won't get winded, keep that in mind. We don't want you to break Miyaki in half,"

"Okay...I'll keep that in mind. But wait, if I don't have blood, how do I get a hard-on?"

"Are you seriously asking that question?" Miyaki asked, flushing slightly in embarrassment.

"Fufufu~ Worry not, that aspect is perfectly preserved. When you feed, that blood that you intake helps you retain some of your previous aspects. So you can pop a jaunty boner, so long as you feed beforehand." she said, giving him a wink.

"Well...ahem, good...that's good!"

"We should head back...the others must be worried about us,"

"Yep! I've got some splanin to do! Daisuke just...stick close to me okay? You let your Queen handle it,"

"Sure sure...but if I get hungry, the first person I'll bite is you. I've always wondered what vampire blood tastes like," he said, licking his newly formed fangs. Miyaki sighed, standing before him. She pressed her lips against his, pulling back just as fast.

"You aren't feasting on anyone. If you need blood, I'll gladly give you some of mine. Just try to contain yourself, at least until you know your own strength?" she said. She noticed his eyes, formally a cool blue, were now a bright crimson red, and filled with mirth.

"Alright, alright. Sheesh...why is it that I feel the sudden urge to go for a run? I have so much energy now."

"You are a creature of the night now, my dear! With all of the time you've gotten, they'll be so much available to do that you'll never be bored. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll get off this island. Then the whole world will be ours!"

"Damn straight! I'll serve you until the end of time, my Queen,"

"Fufufu~ The Shujinmo Empire can finally begin!"

"Oh boy, here we go," Miyaki mumbled, pinching her eyes together. She was in for a very, very long night.

**_xxx(End of Omake 1)xxx_**

**A/N: Fucking finally. You have no idea how long it took me to write this bastard. Holy fuck was this week hell, but holy hell is this chapter erotic.**

**Now that we finally got this out of the way, I can certainly say Chapter 2 can and will begin with a bang. The omakes were meant to be a canon set up for a few other things I have planned down the line but this one threw it all out of proportion. However, I will say that the next omakes are going to be more grounded in the story as they will be canon.**

**The song used in this chapter by Charlotte was one I've been addicted too all week. It's called Bishops Knife Trick, by Fallout Boy. Check it out if you like.**

**Finally, huge shoutouts to all my friends who will no doubt read this smutpiece. You know who you guys are...you are awesome!**

**See ya later!**

**Chapter 2: The Village of Forlorn Souls: Coming Soon...**


	16. C2 Act 1: The Village of Forlorn Souls

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 1

The Village of Forlorn Souls

**Location: The Dark Woods, Hora Island **

**Time: 3:30 PM**

**Date: August 2****nd, ****2020 **

_**xxx**_

"So...are you just gonna let her keep crying?" Ashton asked subtly, nudging Daisuke. He remained frozen in place, not exactly knowing what to do. Miyaki tugged on his shirt, making him shift his attention to her.

"You seem to be familiar with her, right? Can you at least explain to us who she is?"

"I ...I don't know what to say," he mumbled, closing his eyes briefly. "She was in a killing game, the one in the Horizon Space Station. But that game ended with her and the other 5 surviving. She was then part of the Lunar Killing game, the one that you were a part of, but to my knowledge, she left that one too,"

"You mean to tell me, that this girl here survived two killing games and has been thrust into a third one? Jeez, that must be some shitty luck," Mariana added, a look of compassion on her face. "Can't say I feel for her though. I will admit, someone with her skills might actually be useful to us,"

"Are you serious? What the hell are you talking about? Killing games? What the hell even are those?" Ethan snapped, a glare on his face. He knelt down next to the crying girl, who seemed to be recovering from her small bout of panic. "Hey Alice, everything is going to be fine. I know you've been through stuff, but it'll be okay,"

"No, it won't! Shiori is dead! Hayate is dead, and now...now I'm here...who knows where here even is!?" she cried, fully burying her face in her hands.

"Hey, what's going on here? You guys are taking your sweet time getting back to the campsite," the voice of Eris said, having appeared in the small clearing. With her, she brought the rest of the survivors. "Oh hell, there are two more people?"

"This is quite peculiar. I had assumed only we existed on this island, as humans at least," Ibb added, placing a hand on her hip.

"We're not exactly sure what's going on, or if we are alone. Though we can talk about that later, for now, we need to set up camp. We made it pretty far from the SCP Site. Once we get some rest, we'll be able to keep going and possibly make it to the city," Daisuke said firmly, turning to face the others.

"What...what the hell was that?" Riku said softly, causing everyone to look at him.

"What are you talking about Cat? I didn't hear shit," Ashton spat, looking annoyed.

"No...I definitely heard something," Mariana added, closing her eyes briefly to hone in on the sound. "It's nearby, but I don't know what it is,"

As if on cue, several canisters flew into the clearing. They all burst at the same time, producing a blinding flash that made them all scream. The loud buzzing that filled the air brought them to the ground, several more canisters exploding, keeping them stunned and on the ground.

After what felt like hours, Daisuke forced himself to sit up, the ringing in his ears making it unbearable at the moment. He rubbed his eyes, his vision slowly returning to him. He looked around, noticing the others were in a similar state, sprawled on the ground, blank looks on their faces. He briefly felt someone tugging at his bag for some reason but by the time he was aware enough, they had already gone. He rubbed his eyes, tugging on his ears as the ringing slowly started dying down.

"Is everyone alright?" he cried out, earning pained groans from the others.

"Ow, my head hurts," Seisha muttered, clutching his head tightly.

"What the heck was that? My ears are still ringing!" Nyx cried, tears running down her cheeks. She had a pained look on her face, clearly bothered by the loud explosion.

"It was a flashbang, tactical grenades used to stun and disperse crowds. It's meant to cause a blinding flash as well as a loud ringing that disorients people," Ashton replied, forcing himself back to his feet.

"Oh, how do you know about flashbangs?" Lars asked curiously, glancing up at the treant.

"Because jackass, I was part of a gang back in San Francisco. I've had my fair share of encounters with this shit before. What I wanna know is why someone would fucking do that to us?"

"I'm not sure, but my head hurts. I feel like something got sucked out of my brain," Miya added, leaning back against a nearby tree. Daisuke looked to his right, noticing Ethan and Alice were still groaning on the ground. He made his way toward them, a concerned look on his face.

"You two alright?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine, but I'm not sure about Alice. She's been very distraught for awhile now. I ended up running into her a couple of days ago." the young man said.

"Where did you find her? We thought we were the only ones here," Shiro asked, giving the young woman a once over. "For all we know, she might be dangerous,"

"How can she be dangerous Shiro? Look at her, she's clearly out of it. I say we take her back to the campsite and rest. We need to discuss our next plan of action anyway," Diego added.

"Indeed, this little encounter has just proven this island is very dangerous. We can't just worry about the creatures anymore, we haven't the foggiest what Jibo is planning," Haruna said. She held her hand out to Reukra, who was still struggling to stand.

Daisuke nodded, watching everyone slowly making their way back to the clearing. He grabbed a hold of his messenger bag, handing it to Mackenzie who slung it over her shoulder. He slipped his arms under Alice's body, easily picking her up.

"Come on Ethan, we'll talk more when camp is set up. There's a lot of explaining we have to do,"

"A-alright," the cryomancer said, deciding to just follow along.

_**xxx**_

**Location: Campsite (Dark Woods), Hora Island**

**Time: 6:20 PM**

**Date: August 2****nd****2020**

"What exactly are we gonna do?" Kanemoto whispered as she looked up from her map. Riku, Mariana, Diego, Miyaki, and Daisuke were sitting at her table, talking about their next course of action.

Alice had passed out after the surprise attack in the woods. However, she had recently awoken and had been silent since then. Haruna and Kate had been tending to her, asking her various questions to see if she was truly alright. Dalila and Seisha had been playing off to the side of the camp, he could tell the Dryad had taken to the samebito, wanting to keep him distracted from the woods around him. Everyone else was in groups, some tending to the fire, others getting their makeshift dinner and camp ready, and Lars was in a tree, happily reading his book.

"I'm not sure. That surprise attack earlier really put things into perspective. If Ethan and Alice are here, that means there might be other people here. I'm certain they're the ones who attacked us,"

"Are you sure it wasn't Jibo? This sounds like something he'd do," Miyaki asked, earning a sigh from Daisuke.

"It does sound like something he'd do, but the question is why? We just got out of a class trial. Attacking us with flashbangs isn't an incentive," he replied.

"Then what...do we keep going to the city? We're not that far from the lake, according to the map at least," Riku said, pointing to the small campsite on the map. Mariana hummed to herself, following the trail toward the river with her finger.

"I'd say, we got at least another 4 hours until we hit the river. And once we get there, then what? There's a lake separating us from the city. We'll most likely have to go around it,"

"Can't we just go through it? I'm sure we can find some boats to use," Miyaki said firmly.

"I dunno...something doesn't seem right to me. I'm sure that lake was there beforehand, but I'm getting bad vibes from it. If there are monsters and whatever else here, who's to say there aren't things in the water?"

"Like what exactly?" Diego asked, glancing at the storyteller. He shrugged, placing his head in his hand.

"Can't really say, a wide number of things really,"

"O...kay then. But what about them?" Riku asked, gesturing to Ethan and Alice with his thumb. "Do you think we can trust them?"

"I'm not sure about the kid, he's an enigma to me right now. As for Alice... I'm not certain...she seems too distraught, her own emotions might prove to be her undoing,"

"Daisuke, I hate to ask but...you said she was part of another killing game right? Do you know more about it?" Miyaki asked, earning a frown from the man. He reached into his bag for his storybook, which he set down on the table.

"Thankfully, I know about the one she was in. It was the second one to take place after the feeds in Hope's Peak Academy cut off," he said. He flipped through the book, past some of his written stories, stopping near the middle.

"The Horizon Space Station killing game? That's the game she's from?" Diego asked.

"Yes, she along with 16 others were trapped in the space station that was funded by Hope's Peak. I remember this clearly. Back during our second year, it was announced that the school had gathered funding for a space station. To commemorate 50 years of friendship with Japan, the North American Space Association, joined forces with Hope's Peak to create this space station. Thing is, due to the Tragedy, it was never launched." Daisuke said, placing a hand on the page.

"I... I was on that space station wasn't I?" Miyaki asked softly, earning a nod from the man.

"32 students were sent into space. Only 16 were brought out of stasis for some horrific experiments, run by Jibo Momota, with help from Hiyoko Saionji. During this time, the Lunar Colony in the Sea of Tranquility was also being finished. That's where you and the others ended up,"

"Jesus Christ... whoever planned this was an awful human being. How could they get away with all of this shit?" Kanemoto cried out, grinding her teeth together. "So many people have died, and they just keep fucking going,"

"That's just how it is Kanna. Despair is like a decease, once it starts spreading, it's hard to stop. It all started with Hope's Peak. The Lunar Colony, the Space Station, hell even the AUP was dredged up from the deep recesses of the academy. I'm glad that it's destroyed, I'm just sad that I lost so many friends there,"

"I'm sorry Dais...we never took that into consideration, did we? Everyone in the first game, you knew them personally didn't you?" Riku asked. Daisuke nodded, flipping through a few pages.

"Yeah...but I'm sure the survivors are alright," he said, his eyes glancing at the words. "I just wish I knew who the mastermind of that game was, that way I could kill them myself," he mumbled softly.

"Hope's Peak Academy was a flawed institution. All it did was treat those with talent like gods. That was what lead to their undoing. If it wasn't the Tragedy, I'm sure it would have been something else," Diego said firmly. He shook his head, glancing at Daisuke. "Have you found anything?"

"I have...March 10th, 2020, the second killing game on the Horizon Space Station has come to an end. As predicted, the comet struck the space station, destroying it in a fiery blaze. Large pieces have been forecast to rain down all over the world. The Future Foundation is trying to contain the problem, but due to the Tragedy, Japan's space program is years behind what it once was. With assistance from NASA, the first Space Shuttle is nearly complete.

It seems with the end of the Horizon Game, a game in the Sea of Tranquility has begun. 24 victims shall be put in their own piece of hell, headlined by that bastard mechanical bear I've grown to hate. One thing has struck me as odd though. It seems only one person managed to get out of the space station alive. The mastermind is dead, something that I hardly regret. Two space pods were jettisoned, but only one has been found...where did the other one go?

I shall continue jotting notes down on this new killing game. Perhaps if I get the chance, I'll be able to do something to save those victims. The space station was unreachable, the moon? Even more, so...I'm certain the answer lies with Momota. That bastard is crafty if only I knew where he was hiding. I'd pay him a visit...one that he shant-"

Daisuke paused, flipping the page. He noticed the other side of it was blank. The next page was dated a few hours later, but was titled "The Tranquility Killing Game". He flipped back, rereading the final note, not finding anything else. He glanced up at the others, who had expected him to continue.

"It cuts off,"

"I thought you were good at taking notes?" Kanemoto said, causing the man to quirk a brow.

"You try to take notes on everything going on when you are being hunted down by Monokuma units," he deadpanned with a sigh. "It seems that might have been why. A lot of things happened on March 10th," he added. Mariana took a hold of his book, briefly reading the beginning notes on the next killing game.

"Your notes over here don't mention anything else. Let's see, March 11th. Nothing, nothing...oh wait... hang on. It is with great sadness that I report the first two victims of the Tranquility killing game. Mikhail Mischak and Miyaki Hanao were both killed by Dylan Rufheiser. By the looks of things, it seems like they're honing in on the wrong suspect. I fear an innocent person is about to be murdered,"

Miyaki gulped, her hand flying to her throat. Her face went pale as memories of that day flashed to the forefront of her mind. She remembered everything. How she had been with Mikhail in the garden, searching for Mallory's Pad. The two had been taken by surprise by the young man, and after a few words were exchanged, she felt a sharp pain in her throat. She could remember her heart racing, the fear in her mind as she tried and failed to formulate words. She felt herself grow dizzy, falling to the floor, her last few moments being thoughts of Shuhei and Giselly. Her shoulders shook slightly, a few sniffles coming from her.

"Hey, Kiki don't think about that right now. You're fine, okay? Everything is fine," Daisuke said, comforting the young woman. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring back bad memories," the manakete said sheepishly.

"It's...it's fine. I need to get used to this... I don't like to remember those days, but I can't keep hiding from the truth. I'm sorry for being a crybaby,"

"You don't have to be sorry Miyaki. You have reason to cry...your life was wrongfully taken by that Dylan kid. It isn't your fault what happened. However now that you are here, you can get back at the one who caused it all to happen. It's thanks to Jibo Momota that you were in space in the first place. So let's team up and take his ass down, for good!" Riku said cheerfully, earning a nod from the circus performer.

"Not to rain on anyone's parade or anything, but we need to figure out what to do. Daisuke's book has no information on Alice, but it does say that two escape pods were jettisoned from the station. If one of them was found, then that means the second one likely landed here. It's why Alice is here,"

"That's the likely case Diego. The book also says that Hayate Dorobo was responsible for killing two people in the second killing game. Shiori Ayashima was hung by the neck, and was, in fact, the 5thvictim of that game," Kanemoto added, her eyes reading the notes before her. "It's no wonder why she's so distraught. But something doesn't add up...if Alice was the only one who made it out of Horizon, then why is she here now?"

"That is a good question. It's been 4 months since the end of that game. You mean to tell me she's been wondering around this island for months?" Miyaki asked. Daisuke reached inside his messenger bag, pulling out the bayonet that he had gotten from Shiro. He drew the blade from its sheathe, placing it on the table.

"Her name is on this knife. Along with the mark of Fenrir, meaning she has some connection to them. I believe Alice has been here for awhile. Though if anything, I'm willing to bet Jibo kept her trapped somewhere. Knowing him, he probably did the same thing he did to Miyaki. Kept her in stasis until the time was right,"

"So many variables, so many enigmas. What is that man up to? Is he doing this for a reason? Or is there another plan in the works for us?" Diego asked curiously.

"Who knows...let's just go back to planning. We need to iron out these kinks before we head to sleep. First thing in the morning, we'll move out," Mariana said, closing Daisuke's book.

"Y'know, they've been talking for awhile. What do you think they're discussing?" Shiro asked curiously, glancing away from the other table. Mackenzie shrugged her attention on the sheet of paper before her. She had salvaged several blank sheets from the SCP site and was keeping herself distracted by drawing.

"Maybe it's really important? That's why Diego and Dais are over there. They're like our leaders in a sense," Felicks said, tapping his fingers on the worn wooden table.

"I certainly don't doubt that. Though there is something about Daisuke that worries me. He's been acting a bit strange hasn't he?" Eris asked curiously.

"Why do you mean by that Snakes?" the executioner asked, earning a glare from the Gorgon. She pushed her glasses up her nose, mentally thanking God for having them. She would have turned Shiro to stone by now if she didn't.

"What I mean is, he's acting a bit...off? I'm not sure how, but he is."

"I don't see it...he's still acting the same to me," the Ultimate Fairy said, shrugging it off.

"I'd be acting weird if two people came at us from the woods. I don't trust em," Shiro said softly, shifting her gaze toward the fire pit. Alice had been sitting in front of it, staring at it longingly since she had reawakened. Kate and Haruna hadn't left her side, prodding her for answers, which she wasn't giving.

"What about you Kenzie, how do you feel about those two?" Eris asked, causing the painter to stop drawing. She looked up from her work, her soft pink eyes looking firm.

"They're just like us. Victims of this game...so I think we should work together. Daisuke, Shiro, and Charlotte helped me out when I needed it. So I think we should do the same,"

"She's got a point you know, it's best if we set aside whatever differences we have and just keep going. The less amount of fodder we give Jibo, the better. After all, he can't incentivize us if we're friends," Felicks said happily.

"Yes, because that didn't stop the kids inside Hope's Peak from not killing each other,"

"Shiro, you need to stop being so pessimistic. Felicks is right, we should work on becoming friends." Mackenzie said happily. She turned her sketch over to the others, a smile on her face. "What do you think?"

"Oh wow, that's the picture you drew of Kanemoto and Ninetales? It looks super cool Kenzie! Great job!"

"Thanks, Shiro...I've been working really hard on it,"

"Maybe we can find you some paints and a canvas to work on. I'm sure this will be a beautiful painting," Eris said, closely examining the drawing.

"You know...I have another good question. Why is it that Mackenzie got such a tame talent given to her?"

"Hmm...what do you mean?" Shiro asked curiously. The executioner had grabbed one of Mackenzie's spare pencils, sketching something out on it.

"Well...think about it. She was a normal girl before this right? With an interest in writing. Why is it that she was given the talent of painting? It was an artistic talent. As opposed to Eris, who was turned into a gorgon and me, who was turned into a fairy. Her talent is tame by comparison to everyone else with us,"

"Nah-uh...Dais has a normal talent too! He's the Ultimate Storyteller after all,"

"He has talent before he got here. So did Haruna and Miya. They don't count... Everyone else was given a talent when they got here."

"Maybe the old man lost his touch. The Artificial Ultimate Program was created to give normal talentless hacks some form of talent. But where do you think that talent comes from? Something tells me that Saino lady is involved somehow. Maybe she's the reason why there are so many monsters on this shithole," the executioner said, setting down her pencil. "What do ya think? Pretty cool huh?"

"Uh...what's it supposed to be?"

"It's an execution device, duh! I call this one, Imbalance of Justice! Someone gets put onto the scales like so, then you shift the weight around and bam! The person is pulled clean in half!" she cried excitedly.

"It's clear that your talent is the complete opposite of Mackenzie's. Jesus, who the fuck draws this shit?" Eris cried, shredding the paper into tiny bits. Shiro puffed her cheeks, glaring at that gorgon.

"You are no fun~"

"Mr. Bitey is hungry Seisha, maybe we should feed him?" Dalila suggested, earning a nod from the samebito.

"Sure! Mr. Bitey is on a diet though, he doesn't like eating fish anymore either. Do you think he'd like some flowers?"

"We won't know until we try," the dryad happily said. She held her hand over the grass, focusing on the odd power floating through her. Several small flowers sprouted from the ground, blooming almost instantly.

"Aw, they're so pretty! Do you think Salimba would like some too?"

"Mhmm... I'm sure he would," she said happily, handing him her stuffed meerkat.

"Those two seem to be hitting it off," Charlotte said softly, smiling at the two. Dalila had been keeping Seisha calm for awhile now and was expertly doing it as well. It made the siren wonder what she did before bring brought to Hora Island.

"It's really cute isn't it?" the halfling replied, sitting down next to the pinkette.

"Mhmm...reminds me of my little sister. When the Tragedy broke out, my father took us both out of Anchorage. We headed to the northernmost parts of Alaska. Apparently, he'd been building a bunker there, just in case. We took a few neighbors with us, so there were a few other kids to play with," she said. "That being said, not a lot of them seemed to like my games,"

"Oh? You mentioned wanting to be a singer growing up right? You were inspired by that old 80s show...what was it called?"

"Jem. It was one of my favorites growing up. A lot of people get 90s nostalgia, but the 80s had some good cartoons too. My mom had a whole collection of shows, and that was always my favorite. Though one of my bigger inspirations was Sayaka Maizono,"

"You're a Sayaker?" Nyx asked, earning a giggle from the girl.

"I wouldn't call myself a Sayaker, but I did love her music. I had most of her albums, and I even got one of them signed. I really wanted to attend Hope's Peak, just to see if I could get to know her. Of course, that never happened," the siren said, scratching her cheek. "Neither did my singing career,"

"I'm sure you aren't that bad of a singer Charlotte, you have a very pretty voice!" Reukra said happily, sitting across from the two women. Charlotte smiled, flushing slightly.

"You think my voice is cute?"

"Mhmm...I don't know why, but your voice is a mix of cute school girl and mature office worker. It really fits you!"

"O-oh?"

"Take it as a compliment, he doesn't mean any harm," Nyx said softly. Charlotte gave her a nod, reaching for one of her half-empty bottles. She took a sip from it, tipping the rest into her gills.

"So, Sayaka was your main inspiration?"

"Well, Japanese Idols in general. Sayaka was one of the most popular starlets at the time, and Rika Nyan Nyan was beginning to gain traction. Seeing them jump and dance on stage made me smile. It reminded me of those moments as a little girl with me and my mom. Before she passed away,"

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have asked," the Duplicator said, bowing his head in shame. Charlotte shook her head, placing her hand over his.

"It's fine Reukra. You didn't know. Anyway, I used to practice singing a lot. My family always encouraged me to keep practicing, but honestly, I think they felt bad for me. Maybe they filled me with false hope,"

"Why would you say that? Aren't families supposed to encourage you?" Nyx asked curiously.

"Some family members are there to encourage you. Others not so much," Reukra replied, resting his head in his hand. "Sometimes, they do shit to you and find some fucked up reason to justify it. It's the way of the world sometimes,"

"That got surprisingly dark, let's just move on," the siren said, clearing her throat. "Anyway, now that I'm on this island, I'm not sure if I can sing."

"You should be able too, being turned into a mermaid didn't change your voice did it?"

"Actually Nyx, sirens, and mermaids are two different beasts. Charlotte here seems to be a combination of both. However, sirens have been known in various mythos. The most famous example is in the Odyssey,"

"The Odyssey? You mean that long ass series written by Homer Simpson?" the halfling asked. Reukra shook his head, quirking a brow.

"It wasn't written by Homer Simpson. The guy's name was Homer. Anyway, during book 12, Odysseus had to stop his ship from slamming into some rocks. That's because the crew was being lured in by two beautiful sirens sitting on said rocks. He stuffed wax in their ears, deafening them to their singing,"

"So, if Charlotte started singing...all of the guys in this camp would be attracted to her?" Nyx asked, tilting her head slightly. "That seems kind of silly,"

"Well, we can try it, if you'd like," Charlotte said, cracking open one of the sealed bottles. She took a drink from it, sighing contently. She closed her eyes, trying to think of a song.

"_A stove is a stove_

_No matter where you go!_

_A patty is a patty...that's what I say!_

_A grill is a grill... this is surely sooooo_

_And fries should be fries, either way!" _she sung, surprisingly on key. Nyx looked at her with surprise, her eyes shifting to Reukra, who's eyes were firmly on the pinkette. He was slowly leaning forward, a blank yet loving look on his face.

"_But this grill is not a home!  
_

_This is not the stove I know!_

_I would trade it all away_

_If you'd come back to stay_

_This kitchen's not the same without you_

_It's just a greasy spoon_

_Without you~"_

Charlotte opened her eyes, a scream erupting from her throat. Reukra had gotten rather close to her, lips puckered as if he wanted a kiss. The hazy look on his face left him, and he let out his own yelp of surprise. Nyx looked around the camp, having noticed the other guys had been looking at the siren, even a couple of girls had been mesmerized by her singing. Charlotte cleared her throat, grabbing her bottle of water.

"I am never singing again,"

"Aw come on Charlie! Your voice was pretty, you need to share it with the world!" Shiro said excitedly. She joyously bounded over to her friend. "Come on! We can sing a duet or something? I'll go Do, I'll to Re and we go on from there, how does that sound?"

"Sounds like a shit idea, I knew that old man had done some thing to me. He's made my voice sound beautiful, but now I'm cursed to forever lure men to me. What's the use in singing when you hypnotize people?"

"Isn't that what music normally is used for?" the voice of Lars said. Everyone glanced up at the nearby tree, seeing him flip a page in his book. "Normally you want music to seduce people into doing things,"

"You didn't have to word it like that," Ethan said, placing his hand at his hip. "I personally think she has an alluring voice,"

"Alluring? See! There it is, he said alluring...that's all my voice does now. Jesus, as if being a bad singer wasn't bad enough. Now I'm a good singer who hypnotizes people into love-struck idiots. I can never win can I?" she cried, shooting up to her feet. A soft tearing sound filled the clearing.

"Um...Miss Charlotte?" Seisha called out, earning her attention. He sheepishly looked away, pointing at her. "Your top is ripped,"

The siren glanced down at her bountiful chest, noticing her black and white bikini top was hanging down by her waist, still attached partially to her shoulders. This, of course, left her breasts out in the open for everyone to see. She noticed the wide-eyed looks some of the men were giving her. Reukra gave a small cry, a burst of blood shooting from his nose as he passed out. Miyaki was quick to assist her, taking her bolero jacket off and wrapping it around her torso.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves!" she cried, as she helped Charlotte into the jacket. She was still frozen in place, face contorted into several emotions. Anger, fear, embarrassment. Her eye was twitching slightly as her body began shaking.

"You all better forget what you saw, or I swear I will murder you," she said ominously.

"Don't you worry Charlie! I won't remember a titty, I mean a thing! I don't remember a thing!" Shiro said, covering her mouth seconds after.

"Y-yeah...I mean... you wanted to be an idol right? Sayaka had a nip slip once...so did Rika Nyan Nyan...it's normal for these things to happen," Riku said, almost happily. Charlotte pushed Miyaki away the moment she had buttoned the jacket. It was rather small on the siren, but she didn't care as long as her mounds were covered. She stopped in front of Riku, giving him a look of contempt before kneeing him in the nuts.

"KYAAAH!"

"Uy demonios. Mis Pelotas," Diego mumbled, as he clutched his own genitals. All of the men in the clearing groaned a bit, simultaneously grabbing their own. It was as if they had all felt the pain behind the strike.

**_xxx_**

**Location: Campsite (Dark Woods), Hora Island**

**Time: 7:00 PM**

**Date: August 2****nd, ****2020**

"Easy there buddy, you don't want to move too much. I'm afraid the swelling isn't gonna down for awhile," Ethan said softly, as he refilled Riku's ice pack. He held his hand out, instantly creating some ice. "You'll be fine...just watch what you say around the ladies next time,"

"Thanks, Ethan...you're a real bro," Riku said in a high pitched tone, as he took the ice pack from the man.

Miyaki and Daisuke shared a look, both feeling rather sad for the young man. They turned to Charlotte, who had her arms crossed in annoyance. Her face was still flushed, but due to the fire, it wasn't nearly as visible. The sun had fully gone down, plunging the forest into a inky black darkness much darker than before. Three fire pits had been made, just to keep the campsite sufficiently lit. Daisuke cleared his throat, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Charlotte, I know he said a thing that annoyed you. But you gotta apologize,"

"I'm not gonna apologize to that pig. He said that because I liked idols and because they had nip slips, that I should get used to them. Who says that?"

"You know that's not what he said. You are twisting his words," Miyaki deadpanned, earning a glare from the siren.

"You only say that because your lady lumps are smaller than mine. No one will want to stare at yours," she said, causing Miyaki to gasp.

"I'll have you know, flat is justice! Besides, I'm almost a C-cup so what the hell are you talking about?"

"You know men like bigger breasts. That's why everyone was staring at mine!" the pinkette replied. She glanced at Daisuke, looking rather angry. "What's your opinion on the matter?"

"Man...I don't even have an opinion,"

"Well, you gotta have an opinion. You are a man right? That means you gotta pick! Do you like them small or huge?" Miyaki asked, crossing her arms. She had an almost expectant look on her face as if telling him; you have to make the right choice, or I'll kill you.

"Uh well...it just so happens that..." he paused, glancing just past them, eyes narrowed. "Huh...that's a weird place to put a piano,"

The two girls shared a look, glancing in his direction. When they looked back, they noticed the Storyteller had made his way over to where Alice was. Charlotte growled in annoyance, instead walking toward one of the empty tables, wanting some time to herself. Miyaki held back a giggle, deciding to speak with Alice as well. She wasn't all too serious about the previous conversation, but the fact that Daisuke stalled just to get out of it did make her laugh.

"Hey, Alice," the boy greeted, causing the woman to look up.

He noticed her eyes in the firelight, one was a beautiful shade of green, while the other was a pale golden color. It was an odd yet alluring trait. Her long hair, normally in buns, was carefully brushed and down to her hips. She had a far away look on her face as if she had been pondering something for a rather long time.

"Good evening, is something the matter?" she asked.

"Oh, you're British?" Miyaki asked, causing the two to jump slightly. Daisuke sighed, settling his nerves a bit. Alice gave her a nod.

"I was born in London and spent most of life there," she said, glancing at her hand. Daisuke noticed the black leather glove she was wearing, which was emblazoned with the mark of Fenrir. She noticed his gaze, and quickly covered it. "However, it seems I've been dragged through the wringer lately. Everything is so hazy, yet so clear at the same time,"

"What happened to you, Alice? I know parts of your killing game, but not every single detail. What happened up there?" the storyteller asked softly, as he took a seat beside her. Miyaki sat across from her, placing her hands on her lap.

"I wish not to speak of those events...they are far too fresh on my mind. I don't want to remember them like that," she said softly.

"Alright, then talk about something else. When you woke up here, where did you land? You left the Station on a pod right?"

"Y-yes. I remember...Shuhei had been found guilty of killing Shiori. Due to this, Xialyn ended up stabbing him with her knife. Monokuma ended up giving her an execution instead. This set off the final trial. Sayaka was with us...she had been brought back, apparently having been taken from Hope's Peak Academy's killing game,"

"The mastermind was Hiyoko Saionji wasn't it? Is she still alive?" Daisuke asked curiously.

"No...she was killed by her own daughter. She was the first one who escaped the Space Station. Apparently, the killing game up there was done so she could be driven to despair. In the end, Giselly, Charles and Rei were the remaining people alive. We couldn't get the other pods to work. We had to run across the Space station to the other escape pods...I was the only one who made it."

"But...what about Gis...?"

"I'm afraid she's gone. She was so close... I could have grabbed her hand even. But the meteor was about to strike, it came down to the wire. The whole station jerked and I hit the eject...I'm sorry,"

Miyaki remained silent, her eyes gazing at the crackling flames. She had nothing to say. She wished she could have spoken to Giselly at least once before she had died. Shuhei being revealed as a killer surprised her even more. She hadn't been expecting him to actually resort to something like that. She closed her eyes, holding back tears.

"Giselly and Shuhei were friends of Miyaki. She had hoped to speak to them again, but finding out they're both gone... What happened to you here Alice? Did you just wake up?"

"I don't know...once I was in that pod, I fell asleep. It was unavoidable, as if I was _being _put to sleep. When I woke up, I had landed on this island. There was a huge storm, and I took refuge in a nearby cabin. That's where I met Ethan...apparently he was like me. Someone who was lost on this island. We walked around for a few days, holing up in that cabin. Once the second storm passed, we ventured out and met up with you," Alice replied, reaching for one of the nearby logs. She put it into the fire, stoking the flames a bit so they didn't die down.

"Shit...I was hoping you had knowledge on the island," he muttered, reaching into his bag. He pulled out her bayonet, holding it out to her. "This is yours, our friend Shiro woke up with it. It has your name on it,"

She drew the knife seeing the fancy script at the top. She ran her finger across the blade's edge, feeling just how sharp it was. The mark of Fenrir was both on the blade and on the hilt, a rather familiar mark to her. She flipped it around a few times, before placing it back in its sheathe, handing it to him.

"I don't need that anymore. I'd like you to hold onto it from now on, I'm sure it'd help you more than it could ever help me,"

"Are you sure? This is special to you isn't it?"

"No...not anymore at least, I didn't have it when I needed it the most. Now, it's pointless for me to have it." Alice replied, taking a deep breath. She looked around for a moment, taking note of the others at the camp. "So... Ethan told me you thought he was...who was it, Isabella's murderer? Is it safe to say you're part of a killing game?"

"Something like that. The man who brought us here gave my friends here their talents. He turned them into monsters, even brought me back to life by using parts of my deceased friends," Miyaki replied, turning her gaze toward the forest.

"I'm sorry to hear that Miyaki. Just thinking about that must be so vile and sick. I can't pretend to know how you feel,"

"It's...been hard getting used to it. But now I look at it as a new lease on life. I have to give going, I'm sure the people who's organs make me up now would be really pissed if I died again," she said, giving her a smile.

"So, what's the plan now?" Ashton asked, grabbing everyone's attention.

"I'd rather know myself. I hate to admit it, but we need to think carefully about where we go. We're low on medical supplies as it is...and I'm going to get hungry soon," Kate said, looking down sheepishly.

"Kate is right. I'm certain that with Atua's guidance, we'll be able to find our way," Bethany said happily, clasping her hands together. "Why...I'm certain help is already on the way!"

"Right...who sent help for us? Atua? Did he email the Future Foundation? Hey, send help to this island in the Pacific, this is the fake god Atua by the way, lol..kay bye! Pfft...get real," Lars said, earning a glare from the Pele.

"You blaspheming heathen. I'll be sure to burn Atua's teachings into your brain, maybe that will set you straight!"

"Beth, ignore that asshat. He's just trying to trigger you." Diego said, brushing the Demonologist away. "Listen, we've been discussing things a lot. We've decided to head to the city early in the morning. We're about 4 hours away from the river on foot. We'll have to walk around the lake that's in our way, but we should make it there by the end of the week."

"Is going to this city worth it? Are you sure we'll even be able to get help?" Felicks asked curiously.

"Of course. I remember, my friends from the SCP foundation used to come to the city a lot. There were others there, agents from the Foundation studying the city. But I'm sure they're still there... the foundation wouldn't have just pulled out for no reason, right?"

"Ibb...you were in a painting for a long time. The world isn't the same as you remember it. I'm sure the Foundation left this dimension entirely. That being said, we should still be careful. S

SCPs aren't the only thing we'll have to watch out for. We should all-"

Daisuke was cut off by sharp footsteps. He swallowed hard, not exactly knowing what was coming into the clearing. He subconsciously reached for his gun, pulling it from behind his back. Miyaki grabbed her own, while Diego loaded a shell into his shotgun, pumping it for good measure.

What walked into the clearing was a ghastly looking creature, with large bulging muscles on his arms. His torso was pulsing, thick veins being visible all over his pectoral. His head was smaller in comparison from the rest of his body, but he still had all of his visible facial features. He was wearing the shredded remains of army jeans, his feet being completely bare. He was wearing a torn white lab coat over torso, somehow fitting his unnatural body. A loud scraping could be heard as he walked, due to the large scythe he was dragging with him.

"What...what the fuck is that?" Ashton cried, backing away from the figure.

"Hell if I know, but we should get the hell out of here," Mariana added, her wings extending outward. She was ready to fly off at a moments notice. The man's eye twitched, his gaze falling on a lone figure.

"Alice~" he growled.

"What...me?" the blonde asked, her face losing all color. Her eyes were wide as she gazed up at the hulking figure. "I don't even know you!"

"Daisuke...what do we do?" Charlotte hissed, earning a glare from the storyteller.

"Why are you asking me? Why do you think I know how to handle this?" he growled through clenched teeth. The man moved, dragging his scythe along with him.

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute there bud. I dunno who or...what the hell you are supposed to be. But that's as far as you'll go," Ethan said, stepping before the hulking mass.

"Ethan get back, we don't know what the hell it's gonna do!" Diego warned.

"H-hey Kanna, maybe it'd be a good idea if you called out some backup," Miya said, hugging the woman's arm. Kanemoto nodded, reaching into her bag for Dewgong's Pokeball.

"We have to wait for the right moment alright. Maybe it'll just leave," she said softly.

"I want...Alice," the man growled, taking another step forward. Alice backed away, fear written on her face. Kate stood before her, glaring at the figure.

"I dunno who the hell you are, but you are not taking Alice. You'll have to take her over my undead body!"

"Whoa! Don't fucking say that! Do you wanna die?" Ethan cried, glaring at the zombie. "Again?"

"Honestly, if he's asking for Alice, why not just hand her over?" Lars asked, holding back a chuckle. "She's useless...not to mention she's just a blubbering mess. I could have suggested Charlotte...matter of fact, give him Charlotte. I'm sure her tits would be enough of a distraction,"

"You fucking piece of shit. We should hand you over to him, maybe he'd slice your ass in half with that fucking scythe of his!"

"ALICE!" the man shouted, using their bickering as a distraction. He pulled his scythe back as he took a swing at the blonde. Daisuke tackled her out of the way, just in time for the scythe to miss her. The figure sliced the tree she was standing in front cleanly in half. He grabbed a hold of her hand, pulling her along.

"RUN!"

The loud roars of the creature echoed through the darkness, as the group ran away from the campsite. Daisuke's hand gripped Alice's wrist tightly, pulling her along. She tripped, almost falling but thankfully she managed to catch herself. They made it out of the dark forest, into a clearing, brightly lit by the full moon above them. He panted a bit, turning around and gazing back at the forest.

"Did we get away?" Charlotte asked curiously. Shiro let out a small giggle, spitting on the ground briefly.

"Man what a rush! I haven't run that fast since...well...we were chased by those dogs!" she said happily.

"I can't believe I got stuck with you dicks." Lars spat angrily, glancing back at the forest. "Then again, it's better than being stuck in the woods with that thing,"

"What are we gonna do now? Did we even run the same way?" Miyaki asked curiously, panting hard as she looked around. She noticed only 12 of them had made it out of the forest.

"Fuck...did that thing get the others?" Ashton asked curiously.

"I am not sure...but I worry about the others. Especially Reukra...he's still getting used to his powers. If that thing is after him..." Haruna paused, not wanting to finish her sentence.

"Miss Dalila isn't with us...is she dead?" Seisha asked, his lower lip quivering.

"No, she isn't dead Seisha...I'm sure she's perfectly fine," Daisuke said, patting his arm. "She's tough, I have no doubts that she made it out of the forest...she's just on the other side of it!"

"I'm most certain they are fine. You have to believe in them and in Atua. He will keep them safe, his light is shining over us right now!" Bethany said excitedly.

"Actually, that's the light of the moon?" Ashton said, gesturing to the glowing satellite in the sky. "It's best not to give him false hope,"

"Must you be an ass?" Eris cried angrily. "Mariana might not be here to keep you in line, but I certainly will. I will take shit from no one. Now, let's keep going. We all have maps, and we all know where we are going. The lake is nearby, that's where we will meet them,"

"Eris is right. We can't stand here with our asses hanging out...I had to do this but we're gonna have to tough it through the night," Daisuke said firmly.

"But what about that thing? It wants to kill me!" Alice said. He took a hold of her hand, placing her bayonet in her grasp.

"You'll have to defend yourself okay? I'm not going to let you get killed by anything. Let's start moving guys, the faster we make it to the lake, the better," he said, tugging on his messenger bag. He wasn't leader material, but for now, he'd have to lead them to safety. The last thing he needed was to lose someone.

_**xxx(End of Act 1)xxx**_

**_Surviving Subjects: 23_**

**A/N: Well everyone there you have it! The first act of Chapter 2. I would have had it out sooner but the whole world was against me. I ended up having to rewrite this chapter 4 fucking times before I finally got this one ready. It seems as if the world isn't ready for the original plot of this chapter. In fact, I might have to push that to Chapter 3 at this rate, just so I can work on 2 and not get royally fucked.**

**In other news, House of Horrors is wrapping up. If you are reading this then you know what happened in the latest update. Even if you do know, I say this! The show goes on! There's a story to tell and I'm gonna tell it!**

**I had something to say but I forgot what it was...hmm... oh well, it must not have been that important haha. The next act is going to get things started good and proper, now that our cast has been split and separate from each other. But what is going to happen? Who knows?**

**I'll see you all later! Hope you've liked this chapter and if not...eh... that's fine too, everything is fine...all of it is fucking fine! I swear!**


	17. C2 Act 2: The Village of Forlorn Souls

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 2

The Village of Forlorn Souls

**Location: Hora Island **

**Time: 12:30 AM**

**Date: August 3****rd, ****2020 **

_**xxx(Daisuke's Group)xxx**_

Daisuke sighed as he brushed some sweaty locks from his eyes. He looked around carefully, keeping his gun primed and ready to be fired. He didn't know exactly where he was going, but the map in Charlotte's grasp seemed to be leading them towards the lake. There was only one path they could follow straight to the city, and they were on it. Having left the Dark Woods behind, it gave the small group some much-needed peace of mind. That didn't stop him from worrying about the others. Only 11 of the 24 had made it out with them, meaning either the others got lost and were lead somewhere else. Or that abomination ended up killing them all.

The brown-haired lad was hoping it wasn't the latter one. He didn't want to have the deaths of so many people on his mind. Isabella and Jose were already weighing on his conscience. He fanned himself a bit, hoping that some of the bugs that had been attacking him would leave him a lot. He was hot, sweaty and in need of a good night's rest, but he was certain he wasn't going to be getting any of that any time soon. The treeline had thinned out awhile ago, giving them nothing but interconnected clearings, sometimes devoid of trees, while at times they were everywhere.

"Dais...can we stop? Please, I'm so tired," Shiro wheezed, as she grabbed onto his arm. "I'm dying here,"

"Sorry Shiro, we have to put some distance between us and the forest. We had to leave most of our shit back there. If we don't get to a good place, we might end up getting attacked by that thing,"

"If we don't rest, we're gonna be even more tired later. How are we going to fight back against anything if we can barely stand?" Eris asked firmly. Her snakes were hissing loudly as if angered by something.

"She's right man...we can't keep walking around aimlessly like this. Let's just find a spot and take a break. I don't think I can keep walking any further," Ashton added, crossing his arms angrily. "Not to mention, we barely got any water, at this rate the fish is gonna die,"

"I'm...fine," Charlotte said, her voice sounding strained. She leaned against a nearby tree, breathing roughly.

"Your wheezing doesn't sound fine to me. You look like death, not to mention you are a major hindrance to all of us. If we're being chased by a monster, I'm certain he'll catch you first," Lars said, holding back a chuckle.

"We're you bullied as a child?" Bethany asked, glaring at the man. "Atua is telling me quite a lot about you. You seem to look down on people, perhaps because that makes you feel better. Truthfully, you are a very insecure individual aren't you?"

"You and Atua should shut your goddamned mouths. The last thing I want is to be talked to by a sweaty cunt like you," the demonologist said. Bethany growled angrily, her skin slowly beginning to glow pink. All of the sweat on her skin slowly evaporated, the steam rising to the air.

"Can we all just get along? Please! I get that we are all tired, hungry and angry! But look at what happened last time...because we weren't friends, Isabella died," Seisha said firmly, a pleading look on his face.

"Isabella died for another reason because her death was used to kick start this little killing game. Why else would someone outright kill her? None of us had a reason too," Ashton said, holding back a tiny smirk. He lowered his arms, shoving his hands in his pockets. "No, that isn't it either. Her death is a message...telling all of us, that no matter what happens, we're all fucked,"

"Oh my god... would you all just shut up!" Miyaki exclaimed, her voice cutting through the sudden silence. They all looked at her, noticing just how absolutely angry she was. Her cheeks were crimson with rage, cheeks slightly puffed out. "All you do is complain, bitch and moan. When we should all be working together! Seisha has a point in that... We need to put our differences aside and get this shit done. Or else...well, you'll wish for a quick and painless death, believe me,"

"I must concur with Miyaki. Sitting here and bickering like school children is not ideal. All of us are anxious and delirious...but we cannot give in now. Daisuke, perhaps there is some truth in what has been said. We should take a break if only to get our bearings straight," Haruna said, earning a sigh from the storyteller.

"Right...sorry for pushing you all so hard, we can take a few minutes. But don't get too comfortable...we should at least make it to the lake before taking an extended break. The farther we are from the woods, the better," he said. With that, everyone broke away, deciding to find their own areas to rest. Daisuke made his way over to where Charlotte was sitting, kneeling down next to her.

The siren was holding her arm to her head, constantly brushing away some sweat. She had long since fixed her bikini top, but she was still holding onto Miyaki's jacket. She had her legs crossed, her boots were caked in mud from all the running they had done. He could tell she was struggling to breathe, every ragged breath seemed to shake her body, her gills barely opening. She hazily opened her eyes, giving the young man a smile.

"H-hey," she said softly. He reached into his messenger bag for one of his unopened bottles, holding it to her sides. She sighed with relief, her breathing becoming a bit steadier than it had been. "Thank you, you are a life saver,"

"Am I? Because I'm sure forcing you to walk all this way literally put you at death's door," he said. She took the bottle in his hand, greedily drinking what remained. She placed a bit on her hands, wiping it against her face. A few scales appeared under her cheek bones, glittering lightly in the moonlight.

"We needed to get away, I don't blame you for pushing us. After seeing that...that _thing_. I'd likely have run all the way across the island," she said. Her aquamarine eyes shifted to the others, who were off in pairs or groups of three. Lars was the only one that was missing from the group, making her frown.

"What...what's wrong?"

"It's about Lars...I don't know about you, but he really pisses me off. He doesn't respect anyone, especially the women in our group. I'm not sure why, but I don't trust him,"

"I know how you feel but...maybe he had a bad experience with a girl?" the storyteller asked. He sat down next to the girl, leaning against the trunk of the tree. "I mean... I've had my fair share of bad experiences with the opposite sex. Maybe he just decided to not like women in general?"

"I'm not sure it's about that... it's about that ritual," Charlotte said, much softer this time. She licked her lips, glancing at the empty bottle in her hands. "When I walked into that office in the SCP Foundation site, I was really frightened. I mean sure, I've seen rituals like that on TV and in movies. But it also looked serious. He went as far as cutting himself to procure blood,"

"Hmm...I honestly don't know what to think. He's got an eccentric persona, I'll give you that," Daisuke said, sighing as he looked up at the sky. "Honestly, he's not the worst person I've seen. I knew a guy who was obsessed with the occult back in high school,"

"Oh? Mind elaborating a bit? I didn't get a chance to finish high school, so I'd like to hear some experiences," the siren said, giving him a smile. He chuckled, giving her a nod.

"Well, his name was Gundham Tanaka. He was the Ultimate Breeder, but to everyone, he was just Tanaka. The Cold Emperor, the man who would plunge the world into darkness. With his four Dark Devas of Destruction, he'd bring a whole new wave of chaos upon the world that no one had ever seen!" he said, chuckling. "Foolish Mortal, you know not the power that you've awakened! The Phoenix can only be tamed by one who has the skills to speak to them! Together we shall destroy you puny humans! Embrace Pandemonium!"

"Hehe...he sounds like an eccentric person alright...what happened to him?"

Daisuke remained silent, glancing toward Bethany. The young woman was kneeling down, head bowed in prayer. She was speaking in another language, one that he didn't seem to understand. Seisha was looking at her oddly, confusion written on his face. It was as if he was trying to imitate what she was doing, but was far too big to get into the same position as her. She was clasping some prayer beads in her hands, the word Atua leaving her lips every moment or so. Charlotte followed his eyes, brows furrowing slightly.

"What...is Bethy's praying bothering you?"

"No... Don't tell her this but...her older sister was the one who killed Gundham. I'm don't think she knows the extent of what happened in Hope's Peak Academy. I'm sure it was broadcast to every corner of the globe, but Kuikawa Island is so far out there that maybe she was spared,"

"I see...poor thing. I was thankfully spared from most of that game. But we did watch parts of it when we were able to get a signal. I...remember when Sayaka was killed...in the Iron Maidens," she said softly. Daisuke placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

"She was a wonderful person, a victim who didn't deserve to die. Jibo brought her back to life only to have Hiyoko kill her in the Space Station. She really got the short end of the stick in life...but I'm sure she's doing fine, where ever it is she went,"

"Yep...I feel a lot better now Dais...thanks for keeping me company. I'll try not to choke to death," Charlotte said, giving him a salute. The storyteller nodded, handing her another water bottle.

"I'll make sure you don't, however, this is my last one. So we're gonna share it," he said, giving her a wink.

"Yoohoo~ Miyakiki! Are you listening to me?" Shiro called out, causing the circus performer to glance back at her. Her gaze had been firmly on Daisuke and Charlotte, watching them interact.

"Hmm...sorry Shiro, my mind was miles away,"

"Of course it is, you've been staring at Dais since he started talking to Charlie. What's wrong, you jealous?" the executioner asked, wiggling her brows suggestively.

"I am not jealous!" the girl cried with a flush. She sighed, shaking her head. "It's more like...I can see them getting closer. I just wish I could have something like that you know?"

"Oh, I see...you long for a relationship then. You aren't missing much, relationships are just a drag,"

"Honestly...I think it would be wonderful to have someone like that. A person who you could share your darkest secrets with. Whom you could love and they'd love you in return. Even now as I am...I guess I'm yearning for that," Miyaki said, her eyes shifting back towards her friends. The two were laughing at some joke, and judging from how Charlotte was wiping her eyes, it must have been a good one.

"It would help if you were surrounded by good people. Half of the guys on this island are assholes. Especially tall, dark and barky over there," Shiro said, jabbing a thumb in Ashton's direction. "Though I can't help but imagine how big his package is,"

"Ew...why would you bring that up?"

"I dunno...but something tells me, whoever takes his wood is going to get a lot more than they bargained for. I feel bad for whatever girl has to sit on his meat," she said, leaning forward. "Splinters aren't fun to deal with~."

"Okay...I am 100% convinced you are a pervert, god how is it that a cute girl like you could just say that?"

"Who knows really? Maybe I have a huge secret I'm hiding from everyone, you never know," she said with a wink. She tugged on her ponytail, yawning as she looked at the moon. "Still...this is a shitty situation. I really hope Kenzie is okay. I feel for her, she's the skittish type, and this isn't good for her heart,"

"Concerned for the cute painter? Does that mean you have a crush on her?" Miyaki asked, quirking a brow.

"She's a cutie, but I don't know if she's my type. Who knows really?" she asked with a shrug. She sighed, reaching into her bag for her half-emptied bottle of water. "What about you Kiki? What do you look for in a man...or girl, I don't judge,"

"M-me? I dunno...I guess someone who's kind and caring?" she said, almost dismissively. "Though it is funny that you mention liking a girl. There was someone who I was close to...a girl who liked me. She was my best friend... Everyone judged her weird for liking a girl, made fun of her to the point where-" Miyaki paused, clenching her eyes shut. "Sadly I wasn't able to tell her how I felt."

Shiro narrowed her eyes slightly, a small gasp leaving her lips. She took hold of her friend's hand, squeezing it tightly. "I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to bring something like that up,"

"It's fine...Marie was a wonderful person. The only one who gave a shit about me when I went to public school. Being part of the circus makes it hard to experience a few things. Me and two others were forced to attend school, we sort of drifted apart. Marie was one of the few who liked my stories of the circus, she really enjoyed them,"

"Oh tell me more! How is the circus life? Is it as glamorous as I think it is? Do I have a chance of being one of the sexiest girls in the circus?"

"Sadly Shi, I don't think you belong in the circus. In fact, for the longest time, my parents thought I didn't belong in it. My mother was a sword swallower, and my father trained the elephants. I had my own acts, and at one point I was believed to be a true Jill of all Trades." she said, holding back a giggle. "My friend Peter was always so amazed when he saw me do tightrope walking. Just remembering his face makes me giggle,"

"Let me guess, eyes as big as dinner plates?"

"Mhmm... one of my signature tricks was doing a backflip on a unicycle while juggling flaming pins. All on a tight rope, that one always amazed him. In fact, he became closer to me because he wanted to learn how to do it. His father, the showman of our troupe, forbade it almost instantly,"

"So...this Peter guy...is he cute?" Shiro asked, once again changing topics. Miyaki rolled her eyes, tugging on a strand of hair.

"Um well...he kind of is. I haven't seen him since I was accepted to Hope's Peak Academy though. My friend Erika met him once and she was head over heels for him. Peter, however, was as dense as granite. Cute girls hit on him all the time and all he does is assess them to see if they'd fit in the circus," she said, shaking her head. "Like father like son, as they say,"

"Hmm... well that means it's up to a nice strong woman to make him not be dense. Maybe that girl could be you?"

"What...me?" the circus performer cried, eyes widening a bit. She sat up slightly. "Why would it be me? Besides, if the games were broadcast around the world...then I'm sure he thinks I'm dead," she replied. Shiro frowned, glancing away from her.

"Yeah...that's a real drag too,"

"Oh well... That just means I'll have to get off this island and find him. I'm sure he'll be surprised when he sees me...but I'll explain everything to him. I'm sure of it," Miyaki said happily. Shiro smiled, glancing up at the moon. She didn't know why, but she felt rather hopeful at the thought.

_**xxx(Diego's Group)xxx**_

Diego held his breath as he pressed himself against a pine tree. He clutched his shotgun tightly in his grasp. He could hear the stalking growls of their pursuer. The soft _shing _of his scythe slicing through the air served as a reminder of what they were facing. He peeked around the side of the tree, straining his eyes to see if the creature was after them. The glint of the moonlight on his blade served as confirmation. He quickly hid as the thing snorted as if taking a whiff of the air. His eyes went to his other friends, all having taken refuge behind trees of their own. He knew they couldn't keep hiding from this thing.

"Diego!" Mariana hissed, grabbing his attention. The manakete was clutching her dragon stone tightly in her hand. "What do we do?" she said quietly.

"We can't keep hiding, we have to do something," Ibb added, pressing herself against her tree. The creature let out another roar, swinging his scythe with all of its strength. One of the large pine trees cracked, before tipping and finally falling, a loud slam filling the darkened forest. The sounds of frightened animals could be heard all around the area.

"Kanna! You have Pokemon, don't you? You can fight back, please! I don't wanna die here!" Miya said softly, clutching onto the Pokemon Trainer's arm.

"I know, but we have to be careful. The last thing we want is for him to attack us,"

"He's kind of doing that right now!" Riku whisper yelled. He let out a small yelp as one of the nearby trees was taken down. The creature growled as it shifted its gaze toward his direction.

"ALICE!"

"Nice going Riku! We're all gonna die and it's your goddamned fault!" one of Reukra's copies shouted. Nyx grumbled to herself as she left her hiding place, standing out in front of the scythe-wielding man.

"Hey listen!"

"Nyx, are you insane? That thing is going to kill you!" Felicks cried out, the halfling held her hand out, gesturing for him to stay behind cover. Kanemoto reached for one of her Pokeballs, preparing to throw it at a moment's notice.

"Look, I don't know who you are... or why you are here. But we aren't the enemy. The ones who did this to you are responsible for this," she said in a pleading tone. The mutated monster tilted his head, groaning a bit as he became staggered.

"P-please...kill...me!"

"What?" Nyx asked softly.

"KILL ME!"

Nyx jumped back as the man swung his scythe at her. She landed in a crouch, taking a deep breath. Her eyes glowed a bright blue as she used one of her psychic abilities to keep the man at bay. He struggled to move, screaming and shouting in pain.

"Run! I'll hold him here for as long as I can!"

"What about you?" Dalila cried, a look of worry for her friend.

"We can't leave you behind! If we're going to fight, we fight together!" Mackenzie added, standing firmly next to the dryad. She reached into her satchel for a handgun, a spare .38 Special that Daisuke had given her as they left the Foundation site. "I'm not going to be scared by some ugly beast!"

"If we're going to attack back, then we have to do it right! Dewgong, I choose you!" Kanemoto cried, throwing her Pokeball into the air. It snapped open, a mutated sea lion emerging from within. It was a beautiful white color, with long frilled tail fins.

"Dewgong~"

"Use Ice Beam!" the brunette called out. The sea lion arched its neck back, unleashing a beam of white freezing energy at the creature, who cried in pain from the cold.

"Ice hurts him? Alright, then I guess I have a use for my talent after all!" Ethan said excitedly, snapping his fingers. Several shards of ice formed around him, and with a single command, he thrust them forward. The spun in the air, turning into ice spears that pierced through the man's legs.

"Ibb, what the hell are you doing?" Kate cried, having noticed the Runecrafter was digging in the soil with a stick. She mumbled a few things under her breath, as she kept drawing small shapes in the ground. "Seriously, this is not the time to draw!"

"I'm not drawing for fun. I'm creating some runes, which will hopefully contain this beast. If we can ensnare him, we just might be able to win," she replied. She clenched her teeth angrily. "Provided I don't, as you newer generations say, fuck this up,"

"Excellent work Dewgong! I'm so proud of you!" Kanemoto said happily, thanking her partner for the hard work.

The mutated monster seemed to slow a bit, slumping down to its knees. Ethan lowered his hands, the ice shards around him disappearing. They noticed parts of its body had been encased in ice, its scythe lay on the ground beside it. It was groaning in apparent pain, various parts of its flesh being covered in cuts and bruises, some large cuts were bleeding profusely.

"Is it dead?" Mariana asked curiously. Diego walked forward, raising his shotgun to his shoulder as he took aim at the creature, who's eye focused on the man.

"Vaya con Dios," the man said softly, as he pulled the trigger. A resounding discharge filled the darkened forest. The monster's body slumped over, falling down onto its side, the top of his head being completely blown off. Everyone let out a momentary sigh of relief.

"Is it dead now?" Mackenzie asked, her hand shaking a bit as she lowered her gun. "It isn't going to come back at us, right?"

"I don't think something like that could survive a shotgun blast to the head," Riku said, peering at the deceased creature. "Still... what the fuck could have happened to this man. Why the hell was he after Alice?"

"Who knows really. If this thing was after her then that means someone wants her for a reason. I hate to say it, but right now, Alice should be considered an enemy," Mariana said, turning to face the others.

"An enemy? Are you serious? Alice is nice! She wouldn't hurt a fly!" Ethan said firmly.

"Oh sure, she wouldn't hurt a fly, but what about this fucker?" the manakete said, jerking her thumb to the mutant. "Who's to say there aren't sick twisted fucks like him running around, all looking for Alice?"

"Hmm... maybe this is like the Alice killings in Japan?" Miya mumbled, tapping her chin pensively. "There was this series of killings between 2000 and 2005. This man who was twisted in the head, who seemed to be attracted to girls of various ages. All of them had one matching trait...the name, Alice,"

"Miya, this isn't like one of your stupid cases...this is real life!" Kate said, standing in front of the young woman. "We can't just assume this matches something like that,"

"We can't dismiss it though, Kate. There might be some relevance here..." Diego said, glancing at the unmoving monster. "What if this guy was the man responsible for the Alice Killings? Mariana mentioned Lars killing a serial rapist to get your silver tickets. It would make a lot of sense,"

"It makes sense in this case. Why else would someone be after Alice? This man might have seen her survive her killing game. If he's obsessed with women named Alice, then she'd be a perfect target for him," Kanemoto added with a shrug. "Whatever the case, we should get moving. We need to reach the river and meet up with the others,"

"She's right...let's just move. I don't want to be out here more than we need to be," Dalila said, urging Felicks and Mackenzie forward. "I hope Seisha is okay... he's such a sweet person, I don't want him to get hurt,"

"I'm certain he's fine Lila... I can say the same about Haruna. I can tell she has a lot of anxiety attacks. She was holding it in back in the Foundation Site, but all this running is going to affect her a lot," Reukra said, cheeks flushed.

As the group started walking away, they didn't notice the monster's hand begin to move. The ice had slowly been melting off, his skin sewing itself back together. His head, which had been partially destroyed by the shotgun blast, had molded itself back together. The skin was reddish pink, and pulsing with visible blood vessels. It reached for the scythe that lay beside him, anger coursing through his body. He slowly sat up, eyes locked on a single target.

"The river should be nearby. We'll follow it up and hopefully meet the others at the lake. Then we can get to the city and finally back to civilization," Diego said, a hopeful look on his face.

"Tell me about it, nothing is gonna feel better than taking off this damn outfit and taking a nice, hot shower," Mariana said, extending her arms above her head. She held back a yawn. "Maybe if we're lucky, we might even find a hot tub!"

"Oh... that sounds nice," Ethan added. Riku suddenly stopped, causing the others to stop as well. His ears twitched, and he whirled around, eyes widening when he noticed the monster was no longer where they left him.

"H-he moved!" he shouted, pointing at the spot where it had recently been.

"What do you mean he moved! He was dead... he was dead, he couldn't have moved," Mackenzie cried, hastily looking around the area. She backed up, screaming as she hit a tree.

"Maybe he just ran off?" Kate said, glancing around the darkened forest. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "He probably realized Alice wasn't with us, so he probably left to-"

The woman felt something pierce through the center of her chest. She gasped at the foreign feeling. She looked down, seeing a curved blade sticking from her stomach, covered in her own, dark coagulated blood. She glanced up at her friends, who stood still, unable to do anything. Nyx reached her hand out in a vain attempt to grab her, only for the blade to be pulled up, slicing the woman vertically in half. Her body slumped to the ground with a sickening squelch, her internal organs pouring out into the darkened grass. The monster from before stood over the body, growling angrily as he lowered his scythe.

"H-holy shit!"

"We gotta run for it!"

Diego pumped his shotgun, firing another round at the creature, striking it in the chest. This seemed to anger him, as he moved toward the shotgun-toting man, throwing a speedy slash with his scythe. Diego held his gun up defensively, watching as it was sliced clean in half by the weapon. He tossed it aside, deciding it was a good idea to start running.

"I can hear the water! The river is nearby...we're gonna have to cross it!" Ethan shouted, over the mutant's angry shouts.

"I can try to hold him back, but with all of this running, I'm getting really tired. I don't think I can hold him back for long," Nyx said, panting for breath. The halfling looked over her shoulder, seeing the monster gaining speed, brandishing his bloodied scythe. "Whatever we do, we gotta do it fast!"

"Maybe I can freeze him... it would give us enough time to act!"

"Hell no...I want a piece of this mother fucker for myself. I'm sick of having to run. I'm gonna hold him off, the rest of you keep going to the river!" Mariana said, spreading her wings.

"Mariana don't!" Dalila cried. The manakete beat her wings, shooting into the air. She did a few flips, landing right before the monster, wings spread to prevent him from moving forward. He swung his scythe at her, and she lithely flipped out of the way, a smirk on her face.

Her dragon stone glowed brightly as she pawed the ground. She could feel every muscle in her body roaring in pain, as her bones broke and arranged themselves in a new form. Her arms started growing in size, fingers turning into claws. Her wings grew in size, her waist becoming a lot larger as her legs transformed. She felt her neck elongating, along with her face and snout, which lost all traces of human features. A long scaly tail sprouted from her backside, swinging around lazily. The newly transformed dragon let out a fierce roar, which echoed throughout the quiet forest. Her dark green eyes were glowing fiercely with anger, as she focused on the scythe-wielding mutant.

"Jesus Christ, did she just turn into a fucking dragon?" Riku shouted, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Now I've seen it all. Come on, Mariana can handle this guy. We need to keep going to the river!" Diego said.

"But...we can't leave Mari here on her own," Mackenzie said. Nyx strode forward, cracking her fingers as she stood next to the transformed manakete.

"She won't be, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. If my body works the way I think it does, then telekinesis and screeching aren't my only powers. I'll back her up, the rest of you get out of here!"

"Count me in as well, I'm not leaving two cute ladies to fend off for themselves. I trust that you two are powerful, but sometimes back up needs to have some backup," Ethan said, swirling orbs of ice floating around him. Diego sighed, knowing he couldn't dissuade the three.

"Fine... I wish you three the best of luck. We'll meet at the river if not...then it was an honor knowing you,"

"_Don't be so pessimistic Diego! I'm a dragon, I can take care of this small fry. Get them to safety, we'll see ya soon~" _Mariana said, telepathically as she glanced at the group. The others started leaving, much to the monster's chagrin. He tried to go after them, but Ethan blocked his path with a large block of ice.

"You're quarry is before you. We will not let you harm our friends," he said, preparing to fight. The monster gave another loud roar, jumping at the cryomancer.

_**xxx(Daisuke's Group)xxx**_

**Location: ? Lake, Hora Island**

**Time: 12:55 AM**

**Date: August 3****rd****2020**

"That was a gunshot!" Charlotte cried, her head snapping back toward the forest. Another loud thump echoed through the forest, as the group watched what looked like a tall pine tree slowly falling, the area rocking slightly. Several birds shot into the sky, loud caws filling the quiet night.

It was quiet for a few moments before another gunshot tore through the air and all was still. Daisuke swallowed hard, turning to face the group before him. He had a worried look on his face, but he tried to keep it together. He glanced over his shoulder briefly, before addressing his friends.

"Look... I'm certain those shots were from Diego. It looks to me like they're a bit south east of here. We saw that pine tree fall in the distance, meaning they must be near the river. I'm sure they'll follow it up and meet us in the city."

"Assuming they don't get killed by that thing along the way," Ashton mumbled.

"We must have faith in them, Ashton. I for one believe they have what it takes to survive. We aren't standing in a class trial courtroom. Out here, we have more control than in there," Haruna said firmly. Her hands were shaking, as she bit down her nerves. "We must worry about ourselves, as much as it pains me to say it,"

"Miss Dalila is with them... I don't want her to get hurt!" Seisha cried, almost in tears as he looked towards the edge of the forest. Miyaki took hold of his hand, giving him a smile.

"Seisha, Lila is going to be fine okay? She's been through thick and thin already, I'm certain she will be fine. We have to focus on getting out of here ourselves okay?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure why I even came back. I should have stayed in the woods," Lars mumbled, as he crossed his arms. He took the lead, gazing at his map as the group started walking again. "Normally I wouldn't even bother helping, but you fools would be so lost without me. If I save you all, I'll be hailed as a hero all across the world,"

"Live with honor my friend, not with glory," Eris said softly, as she followed after the demonologist.

Another loud roar filled the stillness of the night, this time sounding much different than before. Several more flocks of birds flew away from the forests, in fear of whatever had produced such a guttural cry. Bethany clasped her hands together, bowing her head slightly.

"Oh dear Atua, please protect all of our friends in these trying times. I know they might have strayed from your light, but they need your help. Keep them safe until we can meet again, I'm sure they'll welcome your loving embrace soon enough,"

Daisuke said nothing, joining Lars at the front of the group. He spared a glance at the Dutch man, trying to get a gleam of him by the look on his face. He seemed more bored than anything, but his eyes seemed to scream in anger. He didn't know why it was, but he wanted to find out. Lars, on the other hand, didn't wish to speak. Having sensed an incoming question, he picked up the pace, placing a hand on his book as he walked, almost as if for reassurance. Daisuke sighed, deciding to get him at another time.

"So Alice... do you mind if we talk for a bit?" Eris asked, causing the young woman to look up at her. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, giving her a shy nod.

"What would you like to speak about?"

"Your killing game mostly. How was it that you were able to survive it? Any information you may have might be of help to us, in the future," the Gorgon said. Alice sighed, crossing her arms as she walked.

"There isn't much to the game really. All you have to do is not fall for the motives you are given. Too many of us were manipulated by Monokuma and his claims. If you get too desperate, you will end up committing a mistake. Mistakes that can't be undone,"

"Like what exactly?" Shiro asked curiously, having matched their pace.

"The chance to escape for one. Monokuma promised us a space ship if we lasted 24 hours without killing someone. However, he also offered us something else. A blackened ticket, he who spills blood first shall receive a get out of jail free card. They'd have Master access to every area of the Space Station and would be invited to take part in the game. Take a wild guess at what happened?"

"Someone fell for temptation then... who was that exactly?"

"The Ultimate Football Star, Ichiro Aiko. The little bastard became Hiyoko's right hand, issuing motives left and right. He was meek, and his talents served no purpose up there. Yet he became the most influential player in the killing game. Well... that is until Nico was able to accurately guess his death. Poor bastard slipped on an ice cube and stabbed himself with a knife," Alice replied, shaking her head. She clutched her gloved hand tightly. "Sometimes I wonder what fate's design was for all of us. I know I shouldn't be glad that he died in such a manner, but he was such a pillock to us that I didn't really care,"

"You should be ashamed of yourself Alice! Making fun of someone's death is horrible! Atua will punish you for your sins if you don't repent!" Bethany said firmly. Alice blinked a few times, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm an atheist, I don't believe in God nor do I believe in Atua," she said. Bethany gasped, grabbing one of the necklaces around her neck. She kissed it a few times before placing it around Alice's neck, pressing her palm to her forehead.

"E ke Atua, e kala maiʻoe i kēia wahine lapuwale." She said, closing her eyes tightly. "ʻAʻoleʻo ia iʻike i kāna mea e'ōlelo nei!"

"The fuck did she just say?" Ashton asked, earning a shrug from Shiro who watched the Pele muttering prayers under her breath. Alice brushed her hand away, tossing the necklace back at her.

"Do yourself a favor, respect people's personal space. I do not appreciate you touching me like that. The next time you do, I'll stab you," Alice said firmly, her eyes glowing with anger.

The group remained silent, the roars they had been hearing becoming quiet. Daisuke kept a hopeful look on his face, he trusted that the others could make it to the river in one piece. A few minutes of walking passed, and the group ended up making it to the unnamed lake. It was a large, beautiful lake. The waters seemed to be still, as was the air around it. There was a thin veil of fog, glowing almost gold due to the moonlight. The surrounding shores were devoid of plants, a few small ledges being visible from where they stood. The surrounding woods were thin, the few lush trees seemed to tower over the smaller ones. There was a small shack nearby with several boats, one of them being what looked like a lifeboat. Haruna gasped, taking several strides toward it.

"This is... one of the lifeboats from the Majestic Princess!"

"The cruise ship you were on? Are you certain?" Miyaki asked. The Supreme Hostess nodded, brushing some soil away from the placard on the bow of the boat. The name "Majestic Princess" was nailed onto the wood.

"It's safe to say this is how you arrived on the island. Jibo did say the Majestic Princess struck a reef just outside of Hora Island. It makes sense that you made it here on this. Judging by the mud on the boat, I'd say this has been here for a few weeks," Daisuke said.

"Matches up with what Miya said. The last time Haruna was seen by crew members and passengers was when she boarded this boat on the bulwark of the Princess," Charlotte added, looking the boat over. She noticed the oars resting inside. "This boat is large enough for at least 80 people. Let's use it to get across this lake,"

"What about the others, aren't we going to wait for them here?" Shiro asked curiously.

"We can't stay out in the open. It would be much better to cross the lake now, especially because it puts us at a distance from that thing if it's still alive. Come on, let's put this baby in the water," the storyteller said, grabbing a hold of the boat. He tugged it hard, groaning as he failed to move it.

"Jesus, I got it," the treant said, taking a hold of the boat. He lifted it up with ease, pulling it toward the shore. He grabbed the oars once it was placed in the water. "Well, get in. I'll handle one of the oars, two others can take the left one,"

"Wow...I'm surprised that you are being nice. What changed your mind?" Lars asked. Ashton chuckled darkly.

"The fact that I can snap your neck with this oar at any given time,"

"Let's not get morbid dammit. And please don't threaten each other," Miyaki said with a sigh. She hopped into the boat, sitting at the front. Shiro sat across from her, with Daisuke taking the left side. Once everyone was in, Ashton used the oar to push the boat forward.

"I dunno about you, but I'm getting bad vibes from this lake," Bethany said softly, as she peered over the water. The light reflecting on the moon only reached so far, the inky blackness below doing nothing to calm her down.

"That's because the Loch Ness Monster lives here," Lars said jokingly, as he leaned back in his seat.

"S-seriously?" Seisha asked softly, earning a glare from the man.

"No, not seriously. I was being sarcastic!"

Alice grit her teeth as she grasped the rudder handle. She really didn't like Lars' attitude. Almost from the get-go, he had rubbed her the wrong way. She closed her eyes, focusing on keeping the boat moving straight. She jolted a bit when she felt something strike the bottom of it. She looked over the edge, seeing nothing in the water.

"Um...D-Daisuke...is this a bad time to say I don't know how to swim?" Seisha asked in a shaky voice. The storyteller gave him a smile, taking a hold of his hand.

"It's alright bud, we aren't going for a swim regardless. I get nervous on the water too. I almost drowned when I was younger,"

"Really?" Eris asked, earning a nod from the man.

"I was in Spain when this happened. I was...taking a walk around the park near where I lived. There was a pedestrian bridge that crossed to the other side of the city. I decided it would be a good idea to take a selfie standing at the top of the railing. I ended up slipping and falling into the water," he said, tugging on his shirt a bit. "I got lucky, it just so happened that my cousin Anna was there, and she saved my life,"

"You got lucky then. I was practically born in the water, one of the first skills I learned was how to swim. Ironic isn't it? That I was a better swimmer than a singer and now I'm a siren," Charlotte said.

"It isn't ironic... maybe that's why you were turned into a siren Charlie. Who knows what's going on in the old man's mind?" the executioner said, placing her face in her hands. "Yawn...I'm so bored... anyone know any boat songs?"

"I know one," Eris said softly. She cleared her throat, slowly closing her eyes.

"_Upon one summer's morning  
_

_I carefully did stray  
_

_Down by the Walls of Wapping  
_

_Where I met a sailor gay_

_Conversing with a young lass  
_

_Who seem'd to be in pain  
_

_Saying, William, when you go  
_

_I fear you'll ne'er return again_

_My heart is pierced by Cupid  
_

_I disdain all glittering gold  
_

_There is nothing can console me  
_

_But my jolly sailor bold,"_

"Ugh... please stop singing," Lars spat, a look of annoyance on his face as he crossed his legs. "You're voice sucks,"

"I don't think so," a soft voice said, causing everyone to jump.

Leaning on the edge of the boat, was a beautiful young woman. She was soaking wet, her curled brown hair falling perfectly onto her shoulder. Her arms were bare, though her lower arms were covered in thick blue scales, aquamarine fins protruding from her wrists. Her lower body was hanging in the water, her hair barely covering her exposed breasts.

"Holy shit!" Shiro cried.

"A-A-A mermaid?" Miyaki asked, a look of disbelief on her face.

"She's so pretty," Seisha said, giving the woman a smile. Ashton leaned toward her, causing the mermaid to back away from the boat.

"Wait... we don't mean you any harm," he said firmly.

"I wouldn't be too trusting of her Ash... she might bite your face off," Charlotte warned, only to be brushed off by the man. The mermaid swam back to the boat, a curious look on her face.

"Piss off Charlie. This girl here is beautiful, hell she's prettier than you. I think it's time I get a kiss from a proper mermaid!" he said angrily. The mermaid gave him a smile, as she rose up out of the water, balancing on the edge of the boat.

"_My heart is pierced by Cupid  
_

_I disdain all glittering gold  
_

_There is nothing can console me  
_

_But my jolly sailor bold"_

Ashton leaned downward, completely entranced by the mermaid's singing. Daisuke swallowed the lump in his throat, glancing around the water. He noticed several figures slowly emerging from the water. All of them were looking at the boat, their eyes filled with curiosity. The fog rolling over the water's surface partially hid them, but he could tell exactly what they were. He reached into his bag for his gun, wrapping his hand around its handle.

"We need to get out of here," Charlotte hissed, earning a nod from the storyteller. One of the mermaids swam up to the bow of the boat, flashing a smile to Shiro.

"Hi... you're a cutie,"

"A-Am I? Of course, I am! I'm drop dead gorgeous, and so are you sweetie!" she said happily.

"_His hair it hangs in ringlets  
_

_His eyes as black as coal  
_

_My happiness attend him  
_

_Wherever he may go,"_

"Ashton you fool, can't you see what's happening? This bitch is going to kill you!" Lars said, trying to snap the man out of her trance. The treant pushed Lars back, glaring at him.

"No she isn't...she's beautiful. Just because you hate women doesn't mean I can't have one for myself. So fuck you!" the man snapped angrily. The mermaid gave him a smile as she took hold of his hand.

"I'm happy that you trust me...you deserve something for your trouble," she said, placing a hand on his cheek.

"_My heart is pierced by Cupid  
_

_I disdain all glittering gold  
_

_There is nothing can console me  
_

_But my jolly sailor bold,"_

Ashton had a grin on his face as the mermaid sunk into the water. His eyes were focused on her beautiful face, completely entranced. Once his face was below the water's surface, the mermaid revealed her true nature. She opened her mouth, sharp looking fangs sprouting from her gums. The treant let out a scream as he tried to pull himself away from the woman. Lars stood up, grabbing a hold of the oar, slamming it onto the mermaid's face.

This action caused the others to start jumping about, attempting to grab the ones in the boat. Alice drew her knife, stabbing it into the arm of a mermaid who had taken a hold of Seisha. She screeched loudly before disappearing into the water. Lars swung the oar just as the Samebito ducked, smacking one of their attackers in the chest.

"Goddamn it! I fucking hate mermaids!"

"They're trying to flip the boat! Don't let them do that!" Charlotte cried out.

"That's a tough one to handle dumb ass, we're in the middle of a fucking lake!" Ashton cried, now back to his normal self. "Fuck! I can't believe I feel for their trick!"

Daisuke tried to keep calm, aiming his gun at the water. He heard a screech behind him and turned around, only to feel himself being pulled into the water. He felt himself being pulled toward the bottom of the lake. He growled angrily, shoving his gun barrel under the mermaid's chin, pulling the trigger. A pink mist filled the nearby water as her body started drifting to the bottom. He swam upward, feeling his lungs begging for breath. The first mermaid noticed what he had done and swam at him, striking him in the chest with her tail as hard as she could. His remaining oxygen left him, as he struggled to breath.

"_Foolish human. Thinking you could row across our grotto and coming out unscathed. You killed my sister, for that I will tear your throat out!" _the mermaid cried, opening her mouth as she swam toward the Storyteller.

A flash of pink filled his rapidly darkening vision, pushing the woman away. There was a screech for a moment, but he couldn't hear it well due to the sloshing water. His eyes slowly began closing, as he felt his consciousness drifting away. That was until he felt something brushing against his lips. He felt himself being pulled upward, as he breached the surface. He coughed loudly, expelling some water from his lungs, passing out shortly after.

_**xxx(Diego's Group)xxx**_

**Location: Village Outskirts, Hora Island**

**Time: 7:02 AM**

**Date: August 3****rd****2020**

Diego shot up the moment the rays of light hit his face. He let out a groan as he looked around. He was sore and very tired from all the running he had done the night before. He narrowed his eyes a bit as he glanced around the area. The others in his group were still sound asleep, having passed out from sheer exhaustion. He heard the sounds of flowing water nearby and forced himself to his feet. He cracked his back, as he took in his surroundings.

"What the fuck happened?" he mumbled, noticing large pieces of wood in the nearby shores. He knelt down, picking up the plan, noticing the name "Majestic Princess" on the side of it. "The Majestic Princess... wait, that's the ship that Haruna was on,"

"Diego... what's wrong?" a familiar voice called out, causing him to look over his shoulder. Mariana was standing behind him, favoring her left leg. He noticed the nasty slash on her right leg, which had been covered by thick glimmering scales.

"I'm just... confused. How did we get here?"

"I brought you here. After fighting off that thing and dropping it from a cliff, I circled the area for you. I brought you down the river and passed out from the strain. Guess turning into a dragon takes a lot outta me." she said, clutching her head tightly. "Fuck, my head hurts like shit,"

"Did you... see the others?" he asked, a worried tone in his voice. "There's pieces of wood here, from a lifeboat."

"Sorry man... I didn't see anyone. I did see some bodies floating down the river. Mermaids...I'm sure our friends ended up running into some at that lake. If they did...I'm not sure they made it," she said, earning a sigh from the man.

"Shit...that's just what I needed,"

"Look, I'm sure they're all alive. We can't say for sure that they are dead. For all we know, those mermaids were ones that Charlotte fended off. Seisha is a samebito, I'm sure he's strong enough to fight them off. Not to mention Lars has magic, he might be a dick, but he loves being alive a lot more than being dead. Let's just keep hope,"

"AHHHH!"

The two jolted and turned around, noticing Mackenzie crawling away from something. She had her gun in her hand, aiming at the nearby woods. Diego shortened the distance, kneeling down next to her.

"Kenzie, what's wrong?"

"There's... there's a ghost!"

"A what? Are you serious?" Mariana asked, placing her hands on her hips. "You can't be serious, aren't you a little too old to be screaming ghost?"

"I am being serious! It was a girl... probably my age. She was wearing glasses and had a braid on her shoulder!" the painter said firmly. She lowered her gun, a crazed look on her face. "She was wearing a blue sweater, a scarf and a skirt with question marks on it!"

"That description sounds familiar...why do I feel like I've seen someone like that before?" the manakete said firmly.

"Hmm...I'm not sure myself. My guess is probably due to the killing game held in Space," a voice suddenly said. The three slowly turned around, noticing the ethereal-looking figure behind them. "Oh... did I overstep my boundaries? I guess I should have stayed silent, hehe,"

"Diego... you can see her too right?"

"Mhmm...I can see her alright."

"I fucking told you! You thought I was lying but I wasn't!" Mackenzie said proudly. Her eyes widened a bit and she let out another scream, passing out shortly after.

"You know...I wonder if she truly puts a brave front for herself or for someone else. Because seeing a ghost on this island really doesn't bother me," Diego said with a shrug. "Well... not as much as it should,"

"I suppose," Mariana said. She tucked some crimson hair behind her ear, turning to face the ghost. "So... mind telling us who you are?"

"Oh sure. I was actually sent here to come get you, you seem to be in need of some help. As for who I am... you could say I'm a victim of a killing game, just like you." she said, giving the pair a bow. "My name is Nico Bessho, and I was the Ultimate Guesser. However, after my arrival here, I'd say I'm the Ultimate Ghost."

Mariana and Diego shared a look. They didn't know if they were lucky or in the right place at the right time. It was funny to them, how the world seemed to work. The two decided to put their fears aside, at least for now. The island was preparing to throw them another curve ball, and they had to be ready for it, no matter what.

_**xxx(End of Act 2)xxx**_

**A/N: Hey howdy hey! It's ya boi, Celestial bringing you Act 2 of Isle of the Damned's second chapter. It's...been a tough week for me haha. Well not really. I would have had this out sooner but I was focused on the final chapters of House of Horrors so I decided on limiting my posts until the story wrapped up. But you already know that.**

**Now it seems that a curve ball has been tossed your way. The title of this chapter "The Village of Forlorn Souls" finally arrives at its true meaning. That's right. Spoopy Ghosts are running around the island. Ooooo~ scary~**

**I mostly went with the ghost route because I've hit my quota of people I can revive, admittedly enough. I was thinking of bringing back Sayaka just to piss people off (Shoutout to MudkipOfDespair, who happens to be Sayaka's biggest fan). Of course, I don't like to do shit like that without a reason. So ghosts are the next best thing!**

**So yeah...I've selected some victims from Final Horizon, Sea of Tranquility and of course A New Hope to join our merry cast for this chapter. Who knows they might play an integral part in the story...maybe.**

**I'm not gonna reveal who but I'm sure you'll enjoy the choices I've made. There are six in total after all. Two from A New Hope, two from Final Horizon, the first being Nico, and two from Sea of Tranquility. Though I'm open to requests... if anyone wants a specific person to come back for a short period of time in ghost form just let me know~**

**I hope you've liked this chapter. I decided to make it a bit longer due to my absence recently. I do hope I'm bringing out every character, with this big of a cast, its hard to flesh out everyone but since this story is going to be a bit longer than most, I hope to bring everyone up to speed soon. Shoutout to Little Max who submitted Kate to Isle. I hope her short time in the story was good, and if not I apologize.**

**The song used in this chapter is called My Jolly Sailor Bold and was actually a reference to Pirates of the Caribbean haha.**

**Whelp...this is it...see you next time!**


	18. C2 Act 3: The Village of Forlorn Souls

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 3

The Village of Forlorn Souls

**Location: Jibo's Mansion, Hora Island **

**Time: 7:05 AM**

**Date: August 3****rd, ****2020 **

_**xxx**_

"Good morning, Master Jibo. I've taken the liberty of preparing some breakfast for you." the Ultimate Butler said, as the worn looking biologist entered the kitchen.

"Good morning to you as well Sebastian. How have things been here?" he asked curiously. Sebastian curved his tongue, knowing if he said something to upset the man, anything could happen. He took a deep calming breath, glancing out of the nearby window.

"Things have been extremely quiet. It seems the enchantments you placed around the mansion have kept some of the monsters at bay. However, one of the subjects did get rather close last night. One that you code-named, 'Slender Man'. Some of the security cameras have been acting up due to him,"

"I see... I wasn't expecting him to get this close to the house. Never you fret, he isn't going to get any closer. The Slender Man likes stalking his victims from afar and making them feel paranoia. So long as you don't make eye contact with him, he won't trouble you," the man said, as he took his seat at the head of the table. Sebastian fixed his tie a bit, glancing at the empty seats.

"Am I to assume Master Syd and Mistress Saino will not be joining us?"

"Syd is a bit busy setting something up for me. As for Saino..."

As if one cue, the woman burst into the dining hall, a bright smile on her face. She had her clipboard tightly grasped in her hand, along with a few stacks of paper and a tablet. Her hair was a bit out of place, and she had bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep. She sat down next to Jibo, placing her things on the table's surface.

"Did you see the security footage of Subject A119? Her transformation was amazing!"

She tapped the screen on her tablet, showing the man images of Mariana Nunez in her dragon form. There were various ones, one of her in flight, one taking a slash at The Mutant, and another one of her breathing fire at it.

"While the Manakete formula still needs some tweaking, the results are I'm getting are fantastic. She looks so beautiful and majestic!"

"Saino dear, I understand that you are excited about this. But remember, you must keep a low profile. If you act like a fanatic, you'll be advertising yourself," the biologist said. The woman's eyes widened a bit, and she nodded. She bowed her head sheepishly.

"My apologies, Doctor Momota. I got a bit too excited, it's just... been a dream of mine to see a real dragon,"

"And you will my dear. Once that formula is complete, there will be hundreds, thousands of dragons even. Sebastian, would you kindly bring something for her?"

"Of course Master, I will be just a moment," Sebastian said politely, excusing himself from the dining room. With him gone, Saino cleared her throat, focusing on the old man.

"Doctor, forgive me for asking but... now that the subjects are loose on the island, what do you intend to do?"

"Things are running as smoothly as I predicted. I've introduced a rogue element to their little game. It seems none of them have even noticed, especially Daisuke. I would have honestly thought he of all people would know fact from fiction," the man said.

**"_Hey, boss! I brought you that stupid book, no idea why the hell you want it though. It's full of dumb stories!" _**the whiny voice of Surrashakuma cried, as she jumped onto the table, tossing a worn looking tome onto it.

"The reason why I want it is simple. This item is rather dangerous, to you it may look like a normal storybook. However, this contains the truth, to everything. My pawns can't work if there's proof of their lies nearby, correct?"

"So, the reason why you sent Surrasha out to flash them yesterday, was to get this book?" Saino asked curiously. She opened it, seeing a picture of Daisuke, along with his sister Erika, his mother Maria and his cousin Anna. Below it was a picture of Erika, her dog Snowflake who was then a puppy and Miyaki, who was dressed in a sky blue leotard and was holding a Pomeranian in her arms. She flipped a few pages, skipping more toward the middle.

"I see... this is a record of everything that's happened. There are detailed entries for the Hope's Peak Killing Game, up to the point where the cameras cut off. The entirety of the Horizon Station and Lunar Base Killing Games as well. Copycat games and... names with red cross marks?"

"Targets I would assume. It seems my experimentation on Daisuke has yet to surface. His was a rather simple split in personality. Let's just say, he once wore a mask over his face, and now that mask is very real," Jibo said, smirking.

**"_Oof! That's harsh old man... you actually messed with someone's head like that? Well, I guess it wouldn't be the first time huh?" _**Surrashakuma said, holding back a grin. "Eh... whatever, it isn't my issue. Anyway, what do you want me to do? Half of the group faced the Sirens last night, and the others are just outside Hora Village,"

"That... isn't good," the man said calmly, taking a sip of his tea.

"Doctor?" Saino asked, tilting her head slightly. The man sighed, leaning back in his seat. He had a look of strain on his face but otherwise looked fine.

"Surrasha, I'll need you to head to that village and keep an eye on our guests. We have a few residents near that hallowed ground who could spill the beans,"

**"**_**Sure thing boss, I ain't '**fraid** of no ghost! Maybe we could get the Poltergust 3000 and suck em right up!"** _

"What is she talking about? There are ghosts on this island?" Saino asked, pushing her glasses up her nose. Jibo nodded, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Turns out, even in death certain people can be quite a pain in the ass. I can't do anything about it since they're dead. Well... I could shove their souls back into cloned bodies, but I'm certain the general public would throw a tizzy over it," the man said, taking a sip from his tea.

"The general public? Who'd complain about something so trivial?"

"You'd be surprised,"

**_xxx(Diego's Group)xxx_**

"You know, if I wasn't stuck on an island of death, being chased around by fuck knows what, I'd say meeting a ghost would be kinda cool. But it's honestly lost its novelty," Kanemoto said, glancing at Nico who was walking beside her.

For all intents and purposes, the former Guesser looked perfectly fine. It was as if she was still alive. Of course, she didn't look like a normal human, her body being almost see through. She was glowing a bright blue in places, her arms being a ghostly white. She gave the Pokemon Trainer a tiny smile.

"We've been here for quite awhile. In fact, I was one of the first victims in the Horizon Killing Game. I...was strangled to death by someone. I was so scared when I woke up here. But there was someone here who welcomed me with open arms. She's really sweet too, someone from the Hope's Peak Killing Game," Nico said softly.

"The Hope's Peak Killing Game... the catalyst that started this all. Before that game began, the Tragedy was beginning to calm down. It was nothing but riots and mass shootings throughout the world. As soon as the world's hope started killing each other, the world went to hell in a hand basket rather quickly," Riku said, ears flattening on his head as he walked. "Everyone connected to the academy, graduates, staff and faculty, scouted talents... everyone either died or disappeared."

"Makes you wonder why anyone ever considered Hope's Peak to be so highly acclaimed in the first place. I was scouted for Hope's Peak as well, but with everything surrounding it, I decided to apply to Winter's Crest instead," Miya said, smirking. "Of course, they opened their doors to me! I am the best Missing Persons Investigator in the world after all. I dare say I'm better than even the Kirigiri's!"

"You know sweetheart, boasting about things like talent is why a lot of people fell victim to the Tragedy. If we didn't treat people like paragons, then maybe not a lot of people would have died," Dalila said, causing the girl to frown.

"I'm sorry, I know that I can be a bit hard to get along with at times. I was raised to be the best of the best,"

"Don't worry about it, Miya. You should be proud of your talent, not a lot of us on this island had talent before hand. Just try to be more humble about it," Diego advised, earning a nod from the purplette.

"U-um... Miss Bessho, I-I have a question for you," Mackenzie nervously asked, earning Nico's attention. "You're a ghost, right? C-can you do t-things other g-ghosts can?"

"What do you mean?" Nico asked, brows furrowing a bit.

"I think she means, can you possess things? Like could you hop inside someone and use them as a flesh suit?" Ethan said a smile on his face.

"Can you? Can you walk through walls, disappear and fly?" Felicks added, a hopeful look on his face.

"I can walk through walls, I can disappear but I can't fly." the guesser said, holding back a giggle. "I'm not as unique as the other guys,"

"What about Mackenzie's question? Can you overshadow people?" Reukra asked curiously. "We wanna know because... well we've lost some friends. I don't want to lose anyone else because of a ghost,"

Nico nodded, turning towards Ibb, who was the closest to her. Her body glowed for a brief second as she dove into her body. Ibb shuddered a bit, before finally moving. She turned to face the others, her crimson red eyes were now a glowing lilac.

"To answer your question, yes. I can overshadow people, but only for a short amount of time. If a person is mentally strong, they can prevent us from taking over,"

To prove her point, she was steadily ejected from Ibb's body. The Runecrafter looked at the ghost in anger, eyes narrowed slightly.

"Do not do that again, _ever_!"

"I won't... I was just answering a question. R-regardless, we're almost to the village. Stay close, the areas around it have been enchanted to keep some dangerous creatures out," Nico said, sighing as she turned around. "However, this hallowed grown has seen a lot of blood spilled in the past. Even with these enchantments, some nasty things end up wondering in anyway,"

Diego and Mariana shared a look, both becoming worried with the former Guesser's words. They could only hope nothing bad was going to happen to them.

_**xxx(Daisuke's Group)xxx**_

**Location: 5 kilometers from Hora Village, Hora Island**

**Time: 7:05 AM**

**Date: August 3****rd, ****2020**

"...ke up!"

Daisuke groaned, stirring at the sound of someone's voice. He felt himself shaking but wasn't sure why. He heard a distant, but familiar day. He felt his head sloshing around a bit as he moved. He batted away the hand that was trying to stir him from sleep.

Was he sleeping? No... that wasn't right. He didn't remember going to sleep... in fact, he was knocked unconscious. By what though? He felt himself shake a little harder, the voice becoming clearer.

"Daisuke, please wake up!"

His eyes slowly opened, his vision blurred slightly by the sun. A familiar worried face hung above him, her pink locks fell all around her gentle face. Her eyes were soaked in tears, from sadness or from joy he didn't know. It didn't take long before he was pulled into a sitting position and hugged tightly by his friend.

"I thought you were dead!"

"Charlotte?" he mumbled, struggling to breathe. She let go of him, giving him a nod.

"It's me Dais... the sirens...they attacked us in the middle of the lake. I managed to get some of our friends out of the water. But I haven't seen a few of them since," she replied. Daisuke looked around for a moment, noticing some of their friends sitting nearby.

Shiro had a look of annoyance on her face. He noticed that all of her make up had washed off from the water. Her outfit was also rather wrinkled from the dive into the lake. Miyaki was leaning against a tree, a hand tightly pressed against her side. He noticed her leotard was stained pink, most likely an injury from the attack. Alice, Ashton, and Eris were in a group, the three of them struggling to start a fire, with Haruna holding bundles of firewood in her arms. The only ones he didn't see were Lars, Bethany, and Seisha. The three of them were gone from the group. He rapidly stood up, clutching his head in pain as he stumbled around.

"Hey don't do that! You almost drowned, we can't have you jerking around like that!" the siren warned, grabbing his hand tightly.

"We gotta find them. Bethany is at risk of dying due to her being a fire goddess now. Seisha can't swim either! We gotta go back to that lake, we have to make sure they're not dead!"

"Don't you think we tried?" Ashton said, a frown on his face. His hulking form turned to fully face the Storyteller, arms crossed. "Me and Alice went back to that lake to see if we could find them. All we found were broken pieces of wood from the boat. Miyaki almost died on us, and Haruna was almost killed by one of those things,"

"One of them bit my calf, I couldn't swim that well," the hostess said, lifting her dress slightly. He noticed a familiar blue cloth wrapped tightly around it. The wound itself seemed to be rather large and looked very painful. "Charlotte had to use Miyaki's jacket as bandages. Even then, I'm not sure if I'll be fine,"

"One of them slashed me across the stomach. Thankfully it wasn't deep but thanks to that I almost drowned. I have Ashton to thank for getting me out of there," the circus performer said happily.

"Well, you almost drowned because of that damn anchor you call a leg, but sure, whatever floats your boat,"

"Ugh! Can you believe those stupid cunts? I can't believe they distracted us like that! If I find that one that called me cute, I'm going to stab her in the face!" Shiro cried angrily, stabbing at the ground with her butcher knife. "Look at me! I look horrible, my fucking dress was silk. This material costs more than you can imagine!"

"Sweetie it's alright. You can always fix your dress, but you can't fix someone who's dead," Charlotte said. Shiro cleared her throat, gesturing to Miyaki with her head. "Okay, maybe on this island you can fix someone who's dead... oh you know what I mean!"

"Eris! I want you to go back to that lake and turn those cunts to stone!" Shiro demanded, earning a chuckle from the Gorgon.

"You must be joking, no way in hell I'm doing that. I'm not going to risk my ass because you want petty revenge over your ruined dress,"

"Ugh! You suck so much donkey boner right now!" the executioner cried out. "I'll make sure your execution is brutal! You'll get buried alive like the snake you are!" she cried.

"Can we focus on our friends now? Sheesh. We gotta search for them somehow. We got separated when we started moving towards the mouth of the river. They have to be nearby," Miyaki said firmly, cringing a bit in pain.

"Whatever the case may be, I'm not gonna stand here while they're lost out there. We need to find them, and quick!" Daisuke said, grabbing a hold of his messenger bag. He felt around for a moment, sighing when he felt his gun inside. He also felt something else, making him gasp.

"No... no no no!" he mumbled, taking out his storybook. Almost instantly, it broke apart, falling onto the ground with a wet plop. He knelt down beside it, plucking the pages apart. "No, this can't be happening! This can't be happening!"

"Calm down man, it's just a book,"

"No! It's not just a book!" the storyteller shouted, causing everyone to jump slightly. "I've been writing since I was five years old. Every single idea, every single character, every single memory, story, field trip. Everything has been documented in this book. It's my entire life!"

The man's shoulders slumped, as he bowed his head. Charlotte knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It'll be okay,"

"It won't... this was my last connection to my mom...my sister Erika. My little cousin Anna. The last trip we took to Spain was the last time we were together, before the Tragedy. It's what's kept me going this entire time... and now," he sighed, brushing his tears away.

"Hey... listen, man, I didn't know this book was so important to you. I'm...sorry. What I said was heartless," Ashton said, feeling genuinely bad about his actions. "I don't have much family myself... probably why I don't care. But hearing about everything was in it... it was way out of line."

"It's... it's fine. This book means a lot to me... my entire life, I grew up with an overbearing father. He always told me that I would amount to nothing. That storytelling was a stupid waste of time, and that I should be a businessman like him. I always hated that side of him, he enjoyed making me suffer," the man said, looking up from the soggy remains of his book. "To me... this book was my ticket. It was my 'I told you so' to him. Even now that he's dead, I still see it as my greatest accomplishment. Jibo is doing to pay for this... I'll make sure he does," he said standing up, grabbing his bag.

"What are we going to do now? Four of us are missing, and the rest of our group is elsewhere," Alice said, a frown on her face. "We've got no food, no water, no supplies. We aren't going to last long out in the wilderness,"

"She's right. Right now, the only advantage we have is numbers. Even our talents are useless." Miyaki said, groaning a bit in pain. "We don't know what is running out there. Any one of us could go... especially if we run into that Creature again,"

"Well, what are we going to do then?" Ashton asked, turning to Daisuke with an expecting look. "You're our leader, right? What's your call?"

"I told you before man, I'm not a leader. I'm just some guy... if you put your life in my hands, I might lead you to your deaths."

"I don't think so," Haruna said, placing a hand on his shoulder. She gave him a calming smile. "I think you are a wonderful leader. You helped me keep calm after Isabella's death. You have what it takes to keep us together. At least for now,"

"I... I guess. If you want me as your leader then I'll do my best to keep you all safe, all I ask is that you trust me in return. Trust me with whatever decisions we have to make," he said firmly, looking away for a second. "I might have to make some tough decisions, I just want to make sure you are okay with it,"

"I'm fine with whatever you choose Dais! If you wanna stab me go right ahead, but make sure I'm good and dead! I might come back to haunt you later!" Shiro said, giving him a cute wink.

"Leave it to you to make shit morbid. Come on, let's see if we can find a way out of here. We're near the river, if we can figure out where on the map we are, we might be able to head somewhere," Charlotte said, reaching into her bag for her map. She rolled it open, holding it out to the others.

"We flowed down the river for a bit, I remember walking half a kilometer back to the lake to get Miyaki and the others. I'd say we're about here," Ashton said, pointing to a general area on the map.

"Hmm... we're about three kilometers away from Hora Village. It might be better to go there," Miyaki said.

"What are the odds the others will go there too?" Alice asked curiously. She took a hold of the map, glancing at the location for the SCP Site. "That campsite was around this area, and when we were approaching the lake, the roars came from here," she said, pointing to an area filled with pine trees. "Logically speaking, they'd be heading in that direction, across the river, and to the village. We might as well go there, just to see if we can meet up with them,"

"You make a good point. We might even find Lars, Seisha, and Bethany as well." Daisuke said, tapping his chin. He glanced down at Alice, giving her a curious look. "You were a member of Fenrir right?"

"I was... When I joined them, I decided to become a field medic. As such, I became one of the most important people in my squad. However, something happened that made me leave. Something I don't want to talk about right now," the blonde mumbled. She sighed, glancing at Miyaki. "If we can find some medical supplies, I might be able to take care of your wound. You too, Haruna."

"That would be appreciated, but it's totally fine. Let's just start heading toward the village. It's best to travel while the sun is still rising, once it's fully out, we might have trouble staying hydrated,"

"Okay... let's be careful then. We don't know what we might be running into," the storyteller said, swallowing the lump in his throat as he took the lead of his group.

**_xxx(Lars)xxx_**

**Location: 1 kilometer outside of Hora Village**

**Time: 7:20 PM**

**Date: August 3****rd, ****2020**

Lars sighed as he walked, a frown written on his face. He was beginning to wonder why it was that he hung around these idiots. At first, he had no choice to work together with them. He had been trapped at the SCP Foundation Site. But now, he was free as a bird to do whatever he wanted. So why was it that he decided to stick around? He was beginning to question a lot of things. Including himself, and that was something hardly did. A perfect person like him didn't question themselves after all. He paused briefly, reaching for his book, flipping through a few pages. He stopped at a very detailed image, the name Andras being written in a runic font.

"This book has a lot of information on some interesting little creatures. But none are as interesting as you. That stupid bitch ruined my circle the first time, but I think I've got what it takes this time," he mumbled to himself, as he glanced at the page. "You my friend, are exactly what we need to make things interesting around here,"

He reached down, wrapping his hands around something. He started walking, dragging behind him what he had been carting since the riverside. He reached a clearing, one that he had prepared since being separated from the others. Thanks to some odd stroke of luck, the salt he had brought with him hadn't gotten wet. He had been able to make a brand new circle. Not only that, but he had also made another enchanted ring around Andras's emblem. He knew how particularly dangerous this demon could be. So he wanted to be ready for anything.

He knelt down, grabbing the mermaid he had salvaged from the river, placing her in the center of the circle, arms spread out in a T-pose. Her fiery orange hair contrasted against the dark grass and dried blood that formed the mark of Andras. He looked the mermaid over, a frown on his face.

She wasn't much older than fourteen, with porcelain colored skin, and curly orange hair. She had a pretty face, a small nose, and full lips. Her curves were starting to develop, and despite being young, she already had a bust to rival the most well-endowed women of his group. Her tail had disappeared the moment her legs had dried, making her look human. The difference between this young girl and Charlotte was obvious. This girl lacked gills, and yet she could breathe perfectly underwater and sing like a goddess. It made him wonder if Charlotte was a failed experiment or if something else was at play.

"Alright... salt circle, check. Mark of the demon you are summoning, check. The blood is a bit old but it'll do. And finally, something that will tickle his fancy, a good old fashioned sacrifice!"

"Hrk...what's going on? Where am I?" a soft voice spoke, causing the man to snap his book shut. He glanced down at the circle, noticing his sacrifice was actually moving. He frowned, sighing to himself.

"I was hoping you'd stay unconscious sweetheart, now I gotta get my hands dirty," he said, reaching for the decorative knife he kept sheathed to his leg. "Nothing personal kid, but I need something interesting to happen on this island,"

"Huh...what? What are you doing?" the girl cried, trying to move away from the man. She looked around, noticing the salt circle. Before she could reply, she felt a hand at her throat. Lars was sitting on top of her, forcing her body to the ground.

"I must apologize, my dear... you attacked me and those idiots last night. If I could use the bodies of the dead bitches, I would. Sadly my pal Andras likes live victims being sacrificed. A young virgin would tickle his fancy,"

"P-please... I-I don't want to d-die," the girl hissed through clenched teeth. Her face was starting to turn blue from being unable to breathe. Lars released his hold on her throat, allowing her to finally breathe. The demonologist stood up, allowing her to move a bit. He, however, stepped on her hand, stopping her from getting away.

"Listen, sweetheart, no one wants to die. It's a sad fact of life, the thing is though. I got a way to prolong my life! Yes siree, and that's by offering yours to a creature from the great beyond! Now isn't that swell?"

"No! No, it fucking isn't. Who the hell even are you, what are you doing on this island?" the redhead shouted, trying and failing to free her hand. She cried as the man twisted his boot, almost snapping her wrist.

"Me? I'm not on this island because I want to be. See, I'm like you fucks. An experiment that ended up in success. I was given magic and subsequentially, importance. Well... more importance, I was already an important person," Lars said with a chuckle. "Honestly, I'm hanging around because I'm bored. However, once I get my tickets, I am going to get outta here and head back to Hope's Peak Academy. I've got a bone to pick with that shithole,"

"Hope's Peak Academy... what even is that? And what are you talking about, failed experiment?" the girl asked in confusion. Lars blinked a few times, a small smirk appearing on his face.

"Ah, I see... you are using reverse psychology on me. Trying to confuse me so that I can free you. Well, it isn't gonna work, honey. I know how you sirens work, you try to mystify me with your tits and your vadge but isn't gonna work!"

"Reverse Psychology? I'm fourteen you asshat! What the fuck do I have to reverse? Our territory was invaded and we defended ourselves for it. It was an order from the queen herself. When she finds out what you are doing, she is going to be pissed!"

Lars tilted his head in confusion. Queen? What queen? He gave the girl a once over, noticing her breathing roughly. His eyes trailed over her skin, almost lecherously as he looked for anything that stood out. He noticed on her upper left right arm, a brand of some sort. A large styled A sat near the top of her bicep, the scar standing out over the otherwise smooth skin. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head.

"I must be seeing things. Tell me, sweetheart, what will your so-called _Queen _do? Is she going to send an army of killer crabs to the surface to kill me?"

"No, it'll be much, much worse. Our kingdom came under siege several months ago. Several of our people were kidnapped and brought to the surface world, where they disappeared. Our Queen has issued an attack against all human-life on this godforsaken island. That's why we attacked you, land dwellers, yesterday,"

"Pfft... I'm sorry what? Your kingdom was under siege, your people were kidnapped and your solution is to attack humans? Sweetie, that's a bit counter productive, isn't it? Why risk your own life on hunting us down? Humanity is fucked no matter how you slice it. Eventually, we'll take ourselves out,"

"We aren't attacking the surface dwellers just for what they did to our people. But for poisoning our oceans, our kingdom! The Tragedy poisoned the seas, that is the reason why our Queen has waged war on you!" the woman hissed.

"Hmm... well I must way that the Tragedy did fuck this world up. But the world was fucked up enough already. You guys waging war would actually make my day. I could care less what the fuck you do, to be honest," Lars said.

"Does that mean you'll let me go?"

"Pfft...no! I gotta sacrifice someone, even if I've grown a bit fond of you. Thems the breaks kiddo!" he said, pinning the young woman down. He held his knife above his head, about to bring it down on her.

"Mera!"

The demonologist growled angrily as he jerked his head to the right, seeing another young woman appearing in the clearing. Much like the fiery red head, this woman was very naked. She was partially wet, her long blonde hair reaching down to her waist. A few scales were visible on her arms, the fins on her wrists being visible.

"Madison!"

"Ugh... are you kidding me? There's another one?" Lars mumbled mostly to himself. The blonde, Madison, screeched loudly, causing him to jump away from the red head.

"Run Madison, he's trying to kill me!" the girl cried out, grabbing onto the older mermaid's hand. The two turned around to run, only for the blonde to scream in pain, falling to her knee.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Why is it that the prey always tries to get away?" the demonologist asked, a frown on his face. He grabbed a hold of his knife, still embedded in Madison's thigh and yanked it out, spraying the ground with blood. "See... if you hadn't woken up, then I would have summoned my friend. And now, I gotta do some extra dirty work... all because you chose to wake up at the wrong fucking time,"

"Please don't hurt her! She's my older sister and the last ties to my father. I'll do anything! Just let her go!" Mera cried, eyes soaked with tears.

"It's alright Mera, I can handle this shit for brains. You run, run and run and don't look back. These humans don't know who they are messing with," the blonde mermaid cried. She howled in pain as Lars grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her to her knees.

"How about we make a trade? My friend Andras needs a sacrifice, you know to ensure he doesn't kill me and such. Preferably, a supple fourteen-year-old virgin would do. If the ginger gives her life, I'll let you go blondie. But if you don't, I'll have to sacrifice you. And I'm certain you've already broken the cardinal sin,"

"I would never allow that to happen. My sister's life will not be in the hands of the likes of you. My name is Madison Xebella Challa, princess of Atlantis. You have no idea who you are messing with," the blonde woman hissed angrily, trying to reach for his hand.

"I guess you just made this easier for me. No doubt a princess would save herself for the man who would be her prince. I guess a supple adult year old is just as good as a teenager." the man said, slowly raising his knife.

"_Cruel and cold, like winds on the sea  
_

_Will you ever return to me?  
_

_Hear my voice, sing with the tide  
_

_My love will never die_

_Over waves and deep in the blue  
_

_I will give up my heart for you  
_

_Ten long years I'll wait to go by  
_

_My love will never die,"_

Lars paused for a brief moment, almost swayed by the song the blonde mermaid was singing. Almost. He brought the knife down on the woman's throat, causing Mera to scream in shock. Madison flailed around, as he pulled her toward the circle. He glanced up at Mera, giving her a smirk.

"Survival of the fittest kiddo. You got your wish right? You get to live another day, I would use my time wisely. Won't be long until either you die or someone kills everyone you love, ta-ta!" he said. He yanked the knife from Madison's throat, spraying blood in all directions.

"RUN!" she shouted, somehow managing to speak despite the wound to her neck. Mera reached out for her older sister, only to watch as Lars brought the knife down on her chest. He stabbed her a couple more times, the woman flailing about weakly as her life slowly left her.

The redhead had no choice but to run or suffer the same fate as her sister. She grit her teeth in anger, vowing her revenge against the man, and everything humanity had done to her.

_**xxx(Diego's Group)xxx**_

**Location: Hora Village**

**Time: 8:00 AM**

**Date: August 3****rd, ****2020**

After a long grueling walk, the group had finally to the small village, nestled in the woods. They had passed by several large pieces of metal, that no one was able to discern, but now it was far more visible what they were. The village, while mostly consisting of wooden shacks, and fire torches, long since extinguished, was also built from something else. The remains of large air crafts. What looked like the fuselage of a 737 jet. The plane's wings had been broken clean off the body of the plane, laying useless at its sides, covered in what looked like moss. A wooden pathway had been crafted over it, leading into the large plane.

Diego also noticed a few other air crafts, a pair of Mitsubishi A6M's more commonly known as the Zero Plane, lay wrecked on the other side of the village, their propellers being covered in vines and foliage. Nearby was an AM Mauler, an American air craft by the looks of it, it lay on its side, the top portion of it having been ripped out entirely. The air around them seemed to change dramatically. The peaceful feel was now a lot darker and colder. Nico turned around, facing the group.

"This area here is the site of a grueling battle. During the height of World War II, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States announced they would be joining the war effort. The Imperial Navy of Japan engaged with the Americans on several occasions, one such happened here,"

"Wait... you mean the reason why Hora Island is hallowed ground is that there was a battle here?" Riku asked curiously.

"No... it isn't just that. A powerful curse lingers on this island, one started by early settlers upon this land. Someone ended up performing a ritual and it went wrong. Since then, the souls of the people who have died here, cannot find rest," the former guesser said, a frown on her face.

"This sounds a lot like that curse you were talking about Miya. Do you know the full details of it?" Mariana asked. The Missing Persons Investigator reached for her journal, flipping through it.

"I wasn't able to find a lot of details. All I know is that Jibo Momota's ancestor was the one who placed that curse on Hora Island. Detailed reports from The US Military as well as some other accounts, state that this place is filled with supernatural entities. I guess that's why the SCP Foundation set up base here,"

"It doesn't matter now... what does matter is how we are going to get off this fucking shithole! We fucking lost Kate, are we just going to sit around and wait for that fuck to kill us too?!"

Reukra jumped slightly from hearing his own voice. He quickly focused on his powers, his body glowing as his copy sunk back into his body. He sighed audibly, wiping some sweat from his forehead. The others gave him a firm look, as he lowered his gaze.

"I'm sorry, I'm still trying to control these powers. Whenever I try to keep my emotions bottled up, a copy is made. They blurt out whatever they want, and I have no control over them,"

"Hey, it's alright bud. I know what it's like to bottle things up. Just know that it isn't your fault. We're all essentially thinking the same thing," Felicks said, giving the boy a pat on the head. "We'll be just fine, and we'll come out of this one alive, I'll make sure of it."

"Miss Bessho, what are these markings for?" Dalila asked curiously, pointing to the etchings on the ground. She noticed they were glowing a bright blue. "They seem to be reacting to something, but I don't know what,"

"Hmm... interesting," Ibb muttered, kneeling down before them. She traced one of the characters with her finger tip, narrowing her eyes a bit. She looked around, noticing others written about. "These runes are likely an enchanted barrier. They are written here to keep things outside,"

"To keep what outside though?" Ethan asked, shuddering a bit. "That's the bigger question here,"

"Those runes were written in order to keep the evil spirits at bay. Many many evil creatures prowl on this island. This enchantment acts as a natural barrier against evil," a voice said, causing everyone to jolt a bit. They glanced in the direction from where it had come, seeing another ghostly apparition nearby.

A beautiful young woman, with long bright blue hair reaching down to her waist. She was wearing what looked like a school uniform, a long-sleeved blouse, with a matching black blazer and a short knee length, high waisted skirt. She had a serene glow around her body, almost as if she was completely at peace. She had a pair of eyeglasses over her soft colored eyes.

"Another ghost?" Nyx asked, a look of confusion on her face. Mackenzie took a few steps toward her, eyes widening a bit. She had a look of excitement on her face.

"I know you! You're Tsumugi Shirogane! You were totally famous on YouTube, especially with your cosplay tutorials. I used to watch those videos a lot when I was younger. I even grew out my hair because I wanted to dye it blue like yours!" she said happily. A look of realization appeared on her face. "But... no, if you're here then... you died?"

"Brain washed by Junko Enoshima I'm afraid. I was turned into her loyal follower, a puppet inside the game in fact. It's thanks to me that the Hope's Peak Killing Game even began. All because I forgot a stupid camera," she mused, tapping her chin with a finger. "In retrospect, I think I deserved what I got. I still feel the pain of those saws slicing into my flesh and bone. I think being turned into a ghost was another kick in the teeth. The sweet release of death was something I couldn't look forward too, it's rather fitting I guess,"

"So wait... you mean to tell me you were involved with the cunt that started all this? That you are connected to the bitch who fucking destroyed the world?" Mariana snapped, stomping towards the ghost. "You are the reason why so many people died? Why all of those kids in Hope's Peak killed each other? And you have the audacity to come back while half if not most of them died permanently?"

"Mariana, please... Tsumugi doesn't mean us any harm, in fact, she's been quite caring of all of us. She was one of the first ones here on Hora Island. She taught me everything I know and how to cope with my own death. She's a kinder and gentler soul now," Nico said, causing the woman to glare at her. Her eyes were wide and filled with fury, pupils turning into thin slits.

"Don't you fucking dare! Do you know how many people died because of Despairs like her? Millions, billions! Among them women and children, my fucking family! You don't know the shit I've been through thanks to people like her!"

"Mariana, calm down," Diego said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Tsumugi is already dead...what more do you want from her? It's not like she can do anything about it,"

"Diego is right. All we can do now is survive...it's the only thing we can do. If we blame someone else for our mistakes, then we aren't any better than them," Dalila added, a frown on her face. "After all...it's because of our own desire to be talented that we signed up for the AUP in the first place,"

"Heh, I didn't sign up for this shit! I was fucking kidnapped!" Kanemoto snapped angrily. "And yeah, you may have a point, but it's thanks to Despairs like this bitch that got my family killed. My girlfriend is suffering because of you fucks and what you've done to her relatives. So I am justified when I say, I'm fucking pissed,"

"Then by all means... be angry. Hate me all you want, believe me. If I could go back in time and stop myself from joining Junko, I would." the blue-haired ghost said, as she stood up from the table. "Do you think I don't have my regrets? I was brainwashed and turned into a puppet for Christ-sakes. Instead of bitching and moaning, you should all worry about your lives, while you still have them,"

"You guys are all stupid!" Miya snapped suddenly, causing everyone to glare at her. "I can't believe with all the bullcrap going on this island, you have the time to squabble like children. Get over yourselves, I'm not going to die without completing my mission. So nut up, or shut up!" she said, pushing her way through the others, heading deeper into the village.

"What a brat," the pokemon trainer mumbled under her breath.

"She might sound bratty, but at least she's got her priorities straight. Miss Shirogane, would you show us around, please?" Mackenzie asked, earning a small smile from the former Cosplayer.

"I will. Everything here is a little old, but it's still serviceable, I think,"

_**xxx(Daisuke's Group)xxx**_

**Location: 1 kilometer from Hora Village**

**Time: 8:25 AM**

**Date: August 3****rd, ****2020**

"Daisuke, I'd like to apologize," Alice said softly, causing the Storyteller to give her an odd look. The Ultimate Veterinarian had a frown on her face as she walked, pressing the wrinkles on her tee shirt down a bit. "I haven't been acting like a model person. In fact, I feel like I've been a rather angry bitch these last couple of hours,"

"Alice, it's fine. I get why you are acting this way. It's your way of coping with that's happened to you. You've... lost quite a lot. This is a coping mechanism, you act that way to stop people from getting too close,"

"I... It's just. It's been so hard you know? Seeing everyone that I befriended being killed like that, it's awful," the woman said, clenching her eyes tightly. "Sometimes, I close my eyes and I can see them. I can see the look of horror on Shiori's face, I can see Hayate being crushed to death. I can see Sayaka's head exploding... I try to reach out for Giselly's hand, and I can never grab it!"

Miyaki cringed, quickly looking away. Charlotte reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly. The others were strangely quiet, not exactly knowing what to say to the sole survivor of the second killing game. Alice took a shaky breath, stopping herself from breaking into sobs. "I can't get it out of my head. Even when I sleep, I can see them screaming,"

"Hey, it's alright. I understand what it's like to lose someone like that. You feel helpless, unable to bring them back no matter how far away they get. You try and you try but you've got no other choice. That's how they work, Despairs will get into your head, put things in it and make you ponder things you'd never normally think of," Daisuke said, kneeling down before Alice, taking her hands in his grasp. "But it isn't healthy to look back on your friends and remember their deaths. You should remember Shiori when she was alive, vibrant and happy. You should remember Hayate for the loving man he was to you. Don't remember their deaths, remember their lives,"

"He's right you know," Eris said, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked away briefly, the slight breeze ruffling her shirt. "I come from Greece. It was mostly spared from the beginning stages of the Tragedy. One of the first places to be attacked was Athens."

"I think I remember that attack," Haruna said, twirling a strand of her hair. "The Majestic Princess picked up some refugees from Crete and the small islands around Greece. Over 1,000 people ended up being killed. The Acropolis was bombed by Ultimate Despair, during the height of Tourist Season. Among them were 235 children, a few women were pregnant as well. Only one person survived, a young woman who ended up passing away en-route to the hospital," the hostess replied.

"Jesus Christ," Charlotte mumbled, bowing her head.

"I lost my parents during that attack. They weren't even visiting the Acropolis, they were just passing by. But the explosion was so big that they ended up being struck by large stone blocks. It left me and my little sisters without parents," the Gorgon said, rubbing her arm. "I'm not sharing this to one-up you or anything. I'm sharing it because I'm like you. I lost two important people that day, but I choose not to remember their deaths. Identifying their bodies was awful... I just, shut down. Greece started falling to despair, and I hitched a flight to Ireland where it was peaceful,"

"So you essentially survived by running away?" Ashton asked, earning a glare from Miyaki. He shivered. "I- I mean, I don't blame you. You gotta do what you gotta do to survive. Your sisters are okay right?" he asked, trying to salvage the conversation.

"Yeah... they're fine. Me and my friend Kelley signed up for the AUP with hopes of obtaining Farming Talents. She wanted to keep her parent's farm up and running, to sustain ourselves. But, you know how that turned out,"

"I... I guess I've been acting a bit silly. Eris has been through something similar, and yet she acts nicely. While I act like a twat,"

"No Alice... you aren't acting like a twat. Like I said before, you just don't want to get hurt again. It's fine to grieve, we all have to do it at some point. All of us have lost something to Despair. I lost my fiancee, Miyaki lost one of her best friends. Charlotte has her family, but every one of her friends is most likely gone,"

"I'm not sure if my family is alive. My older sister is very sick, but she was doing better the last time I saw her! I'm sure they're all perfectly fine in the country side. Still... I'm sorry for your loss, everyone. Sometimes I act peppy and like an idiot, and forget that most if not all of you have lost something dear to you. Let's all work towards getting out of here together!" Shiro said, giving the others a bright smile. Daisuke nodded, giving her a pat on the head.

"Right on Shiro. The faster we set our differences aside, the better. Alone, we're weak, but together, we're strong. If we become a united front, Jibo won't stand a chance against us!"

"Do you really think that? Even with how we are?" Ashton asked skeptically. "We still have a mountain of shit to deal with on this island,"

"You're being a pessimist as always. Stop sweating the details... I'll get us out of here. I'm a siren, and as like a siren, I should be able to speak with the other sea creatures. They'll let us leave here peacefully. I'm pretty sure Jibo is bluffing about the guards on the coast anyway," Charlotte said, a confident look on her face.

"Actually... I wouldn't be so sure of that," a familiar voice said, causing everyone to turn around.

Sitting on a nearby stump was a familiar looking blunette. Her long blue hair was neatly trimmed, reaching down to her lower back. She was wearing a normal school girl outfit, white blouse, blue skirt, and long black stockings. She had a bright smile on her face.

"S-Sayaka?" Alice asked softly, earning a giggle from the apparition.

"Mhmm... it's so good to see you again Alice. I wasn't expecting for you to be here at all, a real shame really." she said, standing up from her seat. She shifted her gaze towards the Storyteller, who had remained mostly silent. "You are a sight for sore eyes. One of my biggest fans and my favorite storyteller here in the flesh. I'm a pretty lucky gal aren't I?"

"I... I can't believe it. Sayaka Maizono is here? And she's alive?" Charlotte cried, stepping toward the ghost. "I'm like your biggest fan! You are such an inspiration for the younger generation. I have all your albums!"

"Oh... that's so sweet of you. I haven't heard someone say they're my number one fan in several years. However I am not exactly... alive... anymore," the former Ultimate Idol said.

"No shit. Alice said your head was blown off not that long ago, and your fucking glowing. I dunno about you, but unless you are the Human Torch, normal people aren't supposed to glow," Ashton said firmly. "So wait, if you are a ghost does that mean there are others here? And if so, could you kill the old man for us?"

"I'm not exactly sure what you think I can do. I'm just a simple ghost. I can walk through walls, I can turn invisible and I can overshadow people. However, if they're strong-willed, then I cannot overtake them. Believe me, if I could kill Jibo Momota, I would." Sayaka said, sighing dejectedly. "Anyway. Tsumugi tasked me with keeping an eye for living people. She sensed human-life on the island enmass and figured Jibo was up to something. Turns out he's running his own killing game. I'm going to bring you to Hora Village. You'll be safe there, for now at least,"

"Now safe will we be Miss?" Shiro asked curiously.

"Relatively safe... there's an enchantment around the village to prevent evil entities from entering it. If you are being haunted down by Slender Man, then you'll be fine,"

"Slender Man is a thing here? Jesus, what's next, Mothmen?"

"Actually, yes. Those are rather dangerous so if you see one, don't approach them." Sayaka said in a warning tone. "Follow me guys, we're not that far. Once we get there, we can discuss how to get you off this island safely,"

"Um, Sayaka... I have a question. It's mostly about singing since I'm a siren now, my voice is very good. However, I hypnotize men with my songs. Is there a way I could... you know... not do that?" Charlotte asked, earning a frown from the ghost.

"I'm afraid not. Other than plugging their ears... hey, if they fall asleep, you could always draw on their face with a marker!" she said happily, sticking her tongue out at the girl. Charlotte giggled into her hand.

"You're right. You know, I liked your music better than Rika Nyan Nyan, at least you were nice to people. Rika told one guy to lick her armpit once,"

"Ew," Daisuke, Ashton, and Haruna mumbled under their breath.

"Eh... it isn't that bad. It actually tickles!" Shiro said happily. Everyone decided to ignore that comment. They started following after the ghostly idol, heading towards a lightly forested area.

"Daisuke... I don't like this," Miyaki mumbled, clutching her wound. She groaned a bit in pain, trying not to tussle it too much. "We don't know what might happen if we do follow her."

"I know... but she's a friend. Realistically speaking, what choice do we have?"

"I don't find myself being too trusting. She mentioned Tsumugi, who I'm to assume is Tsumugi Shirogane. If that's the case, then we might have to be wary of her," Alice said.

"Even as a ghost, they still possess a threat. They might even try to overtake our bodies for themselves. We need to be very careful here Daisuke. I trust you with my life, if I don't get out of here with it, I will haunt you until your dying days," the Gorgon said firmly, avoiding eye contact with the storyteller.

"I'll uh... I'll keep that in mind,"

**_xxx(End of Act 3)xxx_**

_**Surviving Subjects 23**_

_**Ghostly Peeps: 3**_

**_Fucks Given: 0_**

**A/N: And we arrive at another chapter's conclusion. Now that both groups are heading and or arriving at Hora Village, the stage is set for the next exciting phase of this killing game!**

**You also got confirmation about Atlantis being a thing... neat... **

**We also got Ghost Smoogi and the Ghost of the best character in all of Danganronpa, Sayaka Maizono. Here to steal hearts from the grave! I promised I'd bring her back, and Celestial keeps his promises. Fact check me... actually don't. I'm sure that one girl is still waiting for me at in Florida. I'm sorry Susan...**

**Anyway, I'll keep this brief. I don't have much to say except I am very very excited about this next motive. It's... something that I've been wanting to write about for a very long time. Not particularly Danganronpa related, but more aligned with one of my passions in life. Something that I've been wanting to write since well the 6****th****grade I guess. But I won't keep ranting about that... I'll let you figure it out for yourselves.**

**Also, to explain the Fucks Given counter... that's just a gag. Mostly as a shoutout to MudkipofDespair who happens to be Sayaka's number 1 fan. This one is for you buddy!**

**Shoutout to Bellatrixshine, who closed submissions for The Beast's Maze today. She announced the cast not that long ago. Of course, if this chapter goes out tomorrow the 18****th****, then all of this will be addressing the events of Yesterday, so congratulations, you have successfully time traveled...sort of. Regardless of that, Bella has no doubt been working hard on this, and I am super duper excited to see this game start. Congratulations to everyone who managed to make it. I can't wait to see how this story will turn out. Also, Bella, I'm going to start my own "Punt to the Sun List" for your story, it's a great honor to come up with one haha. So far, everyone in the cast looks great. So I look forward to seeing them Bellatrixshine!**

**That was an awful pun, holy fuck. **

**Shoutout to Crit Fail, who has been working on Versailles Academy. That man is a paragon for being able to crank these chapters out. Shoutouts to everyone who worked on the latest chapter of it as well. You brought it to life, and are now preparing to make everyone suffer despair! Nice!**

**Anyway...see ya later!**

**PSS: I love how I said, I'll keep this brief then proceed to write another half page of ranty bullshit... lol.**


	19. C2 Act 4: The Village of Forlorn Souls

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 4

The Village of Forlorn Souls

**Location: Hora Village **

**Time: 8:45 AM**

**Date: August 3rd, 2020 **

_**xxx(Daisuke's Group)xxx**_

"Alright everyone, Hora Village is just ahead. We'll be passing by a barrier of glowing blue runes. Don't get alarmed, it was set up by someone a long time ago," Sayaka said, earning nods from the others.

Daisuke took in his surroundings, feeling a lot more nervous than before. He didn't know why it was, but he had a feeling of paranoia filling his body. It was perhaps due to what had happened the night before, or the fact that two of his friends are still missing. Charlotte had been busy speaking with Sayaka, her eagerness seemingly calming the others down. Even though he felt uneasy, he was happy to see his friend smile. He was exactly the same when he met Sayaka the first time around, so the feeling of being starstruck was one that he enjoyed watching.

Miyaki groaned in pain, stopping mid stride as she looked at her wound. She cringed, pressing the cloth tightly against her stomach. Daisuke placed a hand on her shoulder, a look of concern on his face.

"Kiki, are you okay?"

"I'm fine...the bleeding had stopped, but I guess moving around reopened the wound a bit. I'm trying not to let the blood start to crust. If it does... well you know what will happen,"

"Don't worry Miyaki... I'm certain we can find some medical supplies here. If not, I do know some survival techniques. All I need is some thread and a needle and I can patch you up easily!" Alice said, giving her a confident look.

"I am a bit worried," Haruna spoke, glancing at Daisuke with a look of concern. "What if the others aren't here? We haven't found Bethany and Seisha yet. Not only that, but Lars is out there as well, I don't exactly know how to feel about him," the hostess said firmly.

"You're right, he seems to be an enigma right now. I'm not sure what his deal with to be honest, but what Charlotte found him doing is worrying," Eris said. She hissed in annoyance, brushing one of her snakes away from her earlobes. "He's the Ultimate Demonologist right? Do you think he'd try to summon something?"

"Perhaps. Do you think he has enough magic to do something like that?" Ashton asked curiously. The Gorgon shrugged.

Admittedly, Daisuke wasn't exactly sure what to think of Lars. There was a lot about him that he didn't understand. He seemed to have a god complex for one reason or another. Calling himself 'perfect' and claiming humanity made him sick. It made him wonder what had happened to this man that made him act like that? He sounded more like an internet troll than anything. Not knowing where he was made the storyteller uncomfortable, especially if he had the power to summon actual demons. With Hora Island being a supernatural hotbed, summoning a demon was all but assured. He could only hope that wasn't the case.

"You know… I think if Lars even tried to summon something like that, he'd get himself killed! I mean… there are some demons out there who just take over their host right? That would be super funny. Lars wastes his time and ends up summoning his death bringer, that would be awesome!"

"Shiro, that isn't funny." Miyaki said, causing the girl to laugh.

"I know, I know. It's just… instant Karma would be great. Especially because he's a total douchebag about it. Mariana knocking him out during the trial was priceless,"

"Sayaka, I've got a question for you," Alice suddenly said, causing the former idol to look at her. The blue haired beauty gave her a smile.

"Yes, is something the matter Alice?"

"Are you… aware of what happened in the Horizon Station? After your death I mean?" the veterinarian asked. Sayaka sighed, rubbing her arm.

"I'm sorry Alice. For everything that happened. I wasn't expecting Hiyoko to press the button like that, I had assumed she'd listen to reason." Sayaka said, frowning. "But hey, at least you made it out alive right? So did Shiori, and Hayate and Xialyn. Though it is a shame that she was killed on the Lunar Base. I haven't exactly kept up with the games, kinda hard too when there's no television service here,"

Alice's brows furrowed in confusion, as she looked back to Daisuke. She didn't know exactly what to say. He took it as a silent cue, for him to speak on her behalf. He swallowed the lump in his throat, tightening his grip around his bag strap.

"Sayaka, I'm not sure if you know this but… Shiori, Xialyn and Hayate are all dead. They died in the Space Station. In fact, Alice here is the only one to have successfully left. She landed here on Hora Island and woke up after being in stasis. At least that's what I'm assuming,"

"I'm...sorry? I don't know if our information is crossed but, Shiori, Hayate, Xialyn, Shuhei and Wei Yan all survived the destruction of the station. They in fact continued onto another killing game, held on the moon,"

"No they didn't! They're all dead! I… I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about it right now," the blonde girl said, clamming up right after. The idol was even more confused than before, but before she could ask more questions, the group had arrived at the village.

"Whoa… wasn't expecting actual planes to be here," Charlotte said, as she looked around the village. She noticed the glowing runes that Sayaka had mentioned earlier, and knelt down to get a closer look. "So these are the runes you spoke about Sayaka?"

"Mhmm… Tsumugi told me they had been in place here for a long time. I guess the SCP Foundation hired someone who knew their runes. They're enchanted to prevent evil spirits from getting here. As a result, this is one of the more peaceful areas of the island. However, don't let your guard completely down. Monsters can still get in here,"

"Is that voices I hear?" a familiar voice called out. The group looked back, toward the 737 fuselage, seeing their friend Diego standing near the door. He gave them a smile. "Hey guys! The others are here, they made it!"

Mackenzie was one of the first to race out of the plane, almost tackling the storyteller into a hug. He stood stunned for a moment, but hugged her back just as tight.

"I was so worried! I thought something had happened to you and the others!" She exclaimed. Shiro giggled, patting her shoulder.

"I kept big bro safe for you Kenzie! I brought him back safe and sound too!"

"I'm just happy the two of you are okay, especially after last night!" She mumbled, pressing her face against Daisuke's shirt.

Everyone else happily greeted each other, glad to see that they were all alive and well. Mariana stepped forward, still clutching her injured leg as she looked around the group, frowning slightly.

"Where's Lars? Did he die or something?" she wondered curiously. "Matter of fact, where's Bethany? And Seisha?"

"We uh…" Daisuke paused, not exactly knowing what to say. He sighed, glancing away from the manakete. "We made it to the lake. Haruna found a lifeboat from the ship she had been on. We decided to use it to cross the lake, as it would have been faster than going around it. Thing is… that lake was full of sirens,"

"Full of sirens? You mean there are more like Charlotte?" Riku asked.

"Yes, there are a lot more and they're very dangerous. They used their singing to hypnotize the boys. Ashton was almost killed by one," Haruna said.

"Not only that! One of them called me cute and then they tried to fucking kill me! All my make up washed away and my beautiful ensemble is ruined! God when I find her, I'm going to stab her in the goddamn neck!" Shiro cried out, a look of fury on her face.

"Well, Tsumugi is here. She may be a ghost but I'm sure she can help you fix your clothes! She's been really nice with us," Nyx said, taking a hold of Shiro's hand. "Come on, I'll take you to her!"

"Um… is it alright if I spoke with Reukra? I've been quite worried about him," Haruna said. Diego nodded, pointing to the large plane in the distance.

"He's resting inside. We all decided to take a break while we were here, most of us didn't really sleep, especially after running from that thing," he said. Haruna nodded, slowly walking past him.

"I'll be very quiet. I'll speak with you all later," she said, politely excusing herself.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I would say she's starting to crush on the boy," Ethan said, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked around briefly, noticing the weird looks he was getting from the others. "What?"

"You assume someone would fall in love that fast? I mean… we just met after all, you don't know much about them, and yet you're already pairing them up?" Eris wondered, tapping her cheek with her finger. "Oh I get it! You're one of those guys aren't you? A love guru!"

"Uh… no. It's just… you can tell on her face, how worried she is about someone. Sure, she could just treat him like a little brother. But big sister's don't blush like that when they want to protect their little brothers. Just something I noticed,"

"Not that this isn't important or anything, but Miyaki needs some medical attention. Alice has medical training, but she needs some supplies. Think we could speak with Kate? I'm certain she has something in that medical bag of hers," Daisuke said. Diego and Mariana shared a look, frowns appearing on their faces. "Is something the matter? If she's asleep that's fine, all I need is her bag,"

"Daisuke, Kate is dead. That monster sliced her in half with his scythe." he said.

"What?" Charlotte asked softly.

"It's… it's true. Nyx was using her powers to keep the thing in place. Kanna called out one of her Pokemon and started to attack it while Ethan froze it." The Ultimate Painter said, taking a shaky breath as she recounted what had happened. "Diego finished it off, but it somehow came back. While Kate had her back turned, it killed her,"

"Jesus Christ," the storyteller mumbled, anger flowing through him. "How many more innocent people have to die for you to get your kicks?"

"It was my fault. I should have been more careful. A single shotgun blast to the head wasn't enough. Because of that, we not only lost Kate, but we lost a good weapon too." Diego said, bowing his head. "It's as if this whole island is against us,"

"Tell me about it… even as a fucking dragon, the bastard got me good," Mariana said, gesturing to her leg. While her thigh looked mostly normal, with regular human flesh, there was an area covered in thick glittering dragon scales. "That damn scythe almost took my leg. I managed to drop him off a ravine, hopefully that took him out for good,:"

"I doubt it," Ashton said, crossing his arms. He ignored the glare Mariana was giving him. "Look, I know it's bad to be a realist or whatever. But the truth of the matter is, if that thing is a failed experiment, then I'm certain it'll come back. It looked like some sort of mutant...I wouldn't put it past the old man to start fucking with DNA at a molecular level,"

"I'm not exactly sure myself. I don't remember ever meeting the old man, before coming to this island I mean. The only time that I did meet him was when he came to survey the area. He seemed weak, and sickly," Sayaka noted, glancing at the skies above. "I think… I think he's dying,"

"Good… the last thing we need is for that bastard to stay here longer than her needs too," Alice said, eyes widening slightly. She shook her head, looking away from the others. "I apologize. I shouldn't have said something so callous,"

"It's fine… it's something all of us are thinking. Someone who messes with people like that needs to be stopped," Miyaki said, groaning in pain from her injury. "Especially someone who's willing to desecrate bodies and pilfer their organs, just to bring someone else from the dead. I don't understand why he did what he did to me. I'm convinced he brought me back just to make me suffer,"

"You have it better than most of us Miyaki. At least you don't behave like a goddamn house cat when you try to sleep," Riku said, ears flattening against his head. His tail fell down behind him, staying completely still. "Sometimes, I wonder if signing up for the AUP was a wise idea,"

"Yeah… a lot of us have our regrets about it. But it's something we have to own up to. We made the choice to come here after all. For whatever reason that may be. Now we have to live with those consequences, but not before we take care of the old man," Diego said, causing Daisuke to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm sure your sister is fine. She might have gone somewhere else, I doubt the AUP brought her here. She'd have been in this killing game with us by now." he replied. He turned to Sayaka, giving her a firm look. "Saya, we need to help Alice with Miyaki's wound. Is there an infirmary around here that we can use?"

"I wouldn't call it an infirmary, but we do have some medical supplies. They're rather old though, all military surplus that the last settlers used. I believe the SCP Foundation set up a small Paranormal Station around here. If that's the case then there's a likely chance is still stocked,"

"Okay, then take me there. I'll get the stuff and bring it back," Daisuke said.

"Um well… I don't know exactly where it's located but...well I know of someone who knows where it is," Sayaka said, a sigh escaping her lips. She walked toward one of the nearby airplanes, standing next to the large opening. "Hey, we need your help! We've got some injured people here that need medical supplies,"

"Piss off Sayaka, I'm not going to help you!" a distinctly male voice said. Sayaka growled angrily, tapping her foot on the ground. Another apparition appeared before her, almost from thin air, causing the others to jump a bit.

"Is he being difficult again Sayaka?"

"Yes, he is Nico. Think you could help me?"

"Who the heck is that?" Eris cried, placing a hand over her heart. Diego chuckled quietly to himself.

"That would be Nico Bessho, the former Ultimate Guesser. She guided us back here when we were separated. Tsumugi Shirogane is the one who keeps this place in top form. Among them, there are a few more ghosts. Including one of the blackened students of the Lunar Killing Game," the man said.

"A blackened student?" Charlotte asked, completely taken by surprise.

"Alright, I guess I'll have to start singing, and I know just how much you _love _my music," Sayaka said, taking a deep breath. A bright flash of light came from the downed plane, as a figure appeared before the idol.

It seemed to be a young man, around the age of 15, with raven black hair, decorated with streaks of red dye. He had a skinny, almost lanky build, and was wearing a long sleeved black shirt, with matching shorts. He was wearing a pair of converse sneakers on his feet. Like Sayaka and Nico, this young man was glowing an ethereal color, though his complexion was a lot darker due to his heritage. He gave the idol a glare, balling his hands.

"I've already told you. I am not helping you, the only I stay here, is so that I can continue my unfinished business in peace!"

"Yes, but wouldn't you find fulfillment from helping the living? Come on Dylan, you've done a lot of messed up things. Don't you want redemption?" Nico asked, causing the teenager to look at her.

"Hell no! Because if I redeem myself, then I'll move to the great beyond, and guess what? I don't want to move to the great beyond!" he cried.

"That kid is a blackened student? He doesn't look like a killer to me," Ashton mumbled. His ears perked up a bit, and he glanced down, seeing the look of fear on Miyaki's face. She was breathing heavily, all color having drained out of her face. "Hey, Miyaki are you okay?"

"I… I… I can't be here, no! I gotta get out of here!" she cried. The ghostly lad shuddered a bit, his head slowly turning to face. His face split into a grin, as he closed the distance between them. "Get away from me! PLEASE!"

"Hehehe… well well well… I wasn't expecting to see you here! Miss Miyaki Hanao, how is it that you are flesh and blood and not a ghost like me?" he asked, almost in a taunting tone as he stopped before her. The blonde clutched onto Daisuke's arm, her nails digging so hard into his skin that they drew blood. "Oh… you're covered in stitches too! Humpty Dumpty was put back together again!"

"You… you're the bastard that killed her, aren't you?" Daisuke asked, his tone darkening a bit as the boy looked at him.

"Not just that buddy boy! With the lovely Yukiko's assistance we were able to craft a plan so awesome, so dastardly that it would throw the world into chaos!" the boy said happily. He frowned, tilting his head slightly. "Of course, the body switching motive lead to the death of my body. Then I ended up here… matter of fact, I don't remember what happened. I just opened a door and bam, here I am!"

"Tch...you are a despicable human being. The fact that you were able to remain on this plane of existence after your demise is abhorrent." Eris said, glaring at the apparition. "Why don't you do something with your sad excuse of a life, and help us out here?"

"You see… I would but I got no reason too. Besides, do you really want my help? Me? I killed Miyaki once, what makes you think I won't do it again?"

"Please… can we just get out of here? I don't want to be near him. Please Daisuke, let's just go," the circus performer said weakly. Daisuke sighed, taking a hold of her hand, finally pulling it free from his arm. He lead her towards another area of the village, a look of disappointment on his face.

"What a whiny baby… hey, if Miyaki is here does that mean Mikhail is here too? I wanna see the look on his face when he sees me here!"

"Dylan, why is it that you keep this up? You are already dead. What's the point of being a bad person? You know, you no longer have to be the Ultimate Sociopath." Nico said, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"Sweetheart, you don't understand! I've got nothing left! Haunting this island is the only thing that brings excitement to my life. What's the use of being nice when you can just be a dickhead? It keeps you alive much longer! Because the closer you are to redemption, the closer you are to the great beyond!"

"I'm beginning to wonder if the SCP made a wrong choice with their runes. Because I honestly think swine like him don't belong here," Mariana said.

"Swine? Moi? That's a nice name! Oh boy, do I have a story for you all… the story of how I pinned up the dead bodies of my former friends and let some piggies munch on them! I'm sure you'll love it!"

_**xxx(Lars)xxx**_

**Location: 1 kilometer away from Hora Village**

**Time: 8:45 AM**

**Date: August 3rd, 2020**

Lars looked around, making sure everything was perfectly fine. The woman that had once been Madison, now lay at the center of the circle he had painstakingly crafted. He had gotten a bit of blood on himself, but that was a small price to pay. While he would have preferred a live sacrifice, a dead one would have to do. He was nursing a large scratch on the side of his neck, having delivered by the woman in her final moments. They were a lot stronger than people gave them credit for, these sirens. He had prepared the siren for the demon, even went as far as cleaning up the blood from her stab wounds to make her look presentable. He opened his book, flipping to the page he had bookmarked, a grin on his face.

"Oh Marquis from the great beyond, ruler of thirty legions, bringer of discord! I, a humble servant, have brought you a young supple body for you to use. Allow me to be your tether to this world, through my magic, you shall be allowed to walk freely among men. Spare my life, in exchange for full cooperation. Great Marquis, Black Raven of the NIght, aid me in my endeavor to end all human life on this planet!"

The circle started glowing a brilliant blue, as wisps of violet smoke started coming from the circle. The body that was resting in the center of the circle started floating, the fresh blood pouring from the knife wounds sizzled on contact with the ground. Lars backed away slightly as he looked at the display of power before him. From the center Madison's chest, a light began shining, swirling dark clouds erupted from it, towering high above the circle. A large, humanoid creature hung above the young lad, arms crossed as he stared down at him. This demon had the head of an owl, and bright white angel wings on his back. A beautiful blade was attached to his hip, gleaming brightly in the sun.

"You have summoned me to this realm mortal? What is it that you require of me?" the demon asked, voice booming loudly. Lars snapped his book closed, placing it in his holster.

"Great Marquis, I only ask one thing of you. Beseech me your power, allow me to pave the roads of this world with blood. I wish to bring nothing but suffering and discord upon this wretched planet, for the awful things humanity has done," the man said, dropping down to a single knee. "Spare my life, and I promise to help you in whatever conquest you wish to pursue,"

Andras reached for the sword as his hip, drawing it slowly. He held it above his head, bringing it down on Lars, only for it to bounce off a barrier. He was taken aback for a moment, looking at the ground. He noticed the three layers of Salt Circles around the pentagram, a small smirk forming on his beaked countenance.

"A three layer salt circle for protection? I must admit, this is the first time someone has been this careful. Why not remove them?"

"Ah, but that would be a mistake on my part. I know all about you, Great Marquis. You like killing people. Be they your maister, or servant, even your allies. I wish to be extra careful with you. It is also why I have used the mermaid's body. I shall bind you into flesh and bone, until I deem your assistance is necessary," he said firmly.

"Binding me into flesh and bone you say? Well… I will admit, this is the first time something like this has happened to me. You have impressed me so far boy. Do with me what you will," Andras said, sheathing his sword.

Lars reached into his pocket for what looked like a necklace. He placed it on top of his Necronomicon, using his knife to slice his finger open. He drew an upside down cross on the cover of the book, kissing it and the necklace. Using his magic, he willed the necklace to appear around Madison's neck, it started to glow a brilliant red color as he opened the book, placing his bloodied finger on one of the pages.

"Great Marquis Andras, with my blood I seal your soul into the body of this woman. Your powers shall be sealed in flesh and bone. You shall walk among the living, until the day that Lars Weyer deems it necessary to free you. No harm shall come to you, and no one but me has dominion over you. While in human bonds, you will retain a fraction of your power, until the day comes where you will need it again!" the man chanted, snapping his fingers. Andras said nothing as he felt himself being sucked into the deceased woman's body. "Come back to life woman! Allow your body to become a vessel for the Marquis himself. Commander of 30 Armies, bringer of DIscord! Come!"

The swirl of magic disappeared, as the body dropped to the ground, unmoving. Lars for a moment thought that he had messed up, only to see it moving. A soft groan escaped the woman, as she sat up, looking at her hands. The wounds on her chest had sealed up, leaving only scars behind where the knife had pierced her skin. Her eyes, which had been distinctly blue beforehand, were now glowing a brilliant ruby red. She felt herself for a few moments, a chuckle escaping her lips.

"This is a surprise. I've been bound in flesh and bone countless times, usually as animals. You are the first one who has offered up a human body, and a female no less." she said, licking her lips. She felt between her legs briefly, quirking a brow. "And a virgin no less… you have a lot of potential boy. I might keep you around for awhile longer,"

Andras slowly stood up, feeling rather odd in this form. Madison's long flowing blonde hair fell down to her back. She grabbed a strand of it, frowning slightly. With a snap of her fingers, the blonde hair slowly turned a dark, reddish violet. Lars watched in awe, as a skin tight dress slowly formed over her body, covering up her exposed areas. It was a low cut, off the shoulder dress with black feathers around the hem, which reached down past her waist. Her legs became covered in black armored boots, even the gleaming sword from before was strapped to her waist.

"Hmm… you humans have nice bodies. Shame that I can't use my wings in this form, but it's a nice trade off. I take it you have plans for the future?"

"Indeed! First, we need to get off this godforsaken island. In order to do that, we have to kill the old man in charge. One Jibo Momota. Once we do that, we'll be able to leave. Then, we can begin phase two of our plan," the man said firmly, earning a nod from the woman.

"I see… am I to assume I will take the place of whoever this woman was?"

"Yes… Madison was a princess of Atlantis, apparently. As long as you act like a human woman, I don't think you'll be out of place here. In fact, I believe calling you my older sister will do. Those idiots found two others in the woods and readily accepted them." Lars said, glancing away for a brief moment. "Just pretend to be a helpless woman or something, use your tits to your advantage. That dumbass, Daisuke will eat it all up,"

"As you command. Just know that when I get out of this body, I will destroy you. No one gets away with what they have done to me, especially you,"

"I look forward to the challenge,"

"Come on Seisha, I hear voices over here!" a voice called out, causing Lars to groan. He turned around, facing the direction of the voice.

"Use your water magic to erase that circle. We don't need this Atua loving freak to get on our case," he said. Andras nodded, holding her hand out, she used formed a bubble of water, using it to erase all traces of the summoning circle. Just in time, as Bethany Yonaga and Seisha Dekishi burst through the tree-line, looking very winded.

"Mr. Lars! I'm so happy that you are alright. When me and Beth woke up, and didn't see anyone else, we thought everyone had died!" the samebito said, a bright smile on his face. His eyes shifted over to the woman, brows furrowing. "Who's this?"

"Oh this? This happens to be my older sister… her name is Andrea Weyer. Turns out, she came looking for me on Hora Island, and was attacked by Jibo," Lars said, glancing at 'Andrea'. Understanding his cue, the woman nodded, holding her hand out.

"It is a pleasure to meet friend's of my little brother. He can be quite a pain in the ass at times. Andrea Weyer, nice to meet you,"

Bethany looked the woman over a few times, eyes narrowed. She didn't know why but the hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end. The smile on Andrea's face seemed fake, plastic even. But she couldn't show her any discourtesy either. She shook the woman's hand firmly, keeping her temperature under control.

"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Weyer. My name is Bethany Yonaga. I happen to be the Ultimate Pele. Jibo Momota, our captor, has turned me into some sort of Volcano Goddess. However, even if I am technically a goddess, the only god in my life will be Atua!" she said cheerfully.

"Ugh… that idiot? People still worship him in this day and age?" Andrea asked, almost absentmindedly. A tick mark appeared on Bethany's forehead, her body heat increasing.

"What… what did you just say?"

"Beth, she didn't mean it! I'm sure she didn't… please try not to explode like last night. We don't need another eruption," Seisha said, being quick to calm the Pele down. "My name is Seisha, I'm sure you can guess what I am! So what's your special talent? Or did Dr. Momota leave you alone?"

"My special talent?" Andrea asked, turning to Lars for assistance. The man smirked, turning back to the others.

"My sister was given an ultra special talent. She's the Ultimate Servant, she has to do whatever I command her to do. She's spent her whole life lording her age over me, but now she cannot go against her word, isn't that right dear sister?" he asked cheekily. Andrea narrowed her eyes, hand wrapping around the hilt of her sword.

"Yes, for now," she hissed, anger flowing through her.

"Well… now that we're back together, we should try to find a place to go. After the sirens attacked us, we were all separated. We ended up fighting some nasty creatures during the night. Thankfully, we found someone else," the Pele said happily. "Even if you're not the kindest person, Atua lead us to you, so I am thankful that you are okay,"

"Happy days!" Lars said sarcastically, reaching into his pocket for his map. "We're one kilometer away from Hora Village. If the others in our group have functioning brain cells, they'll travel there,"

"That village is a supernatural hotbed. A great battle was waged there, over eighty years ago. It is likely that some of the spirits that linger on this island have lead them there," Andrea said, glancing at the map herself. Bethany furrowed her brows, but said nothing.

"Oh, are you guys perhaps lost? I could guide you to Hora Village, if you'd like?" a voice said, causing the four to jump in surprise. They looked around for a brief moment, spotting another person in the clearing.

It was a young woman, with long glittering raven locks, reaching down past her hips. She was wearing a long sleeved white shirt, with a frilled collar. She wore a matching black skirt, along with black leggings underneath, and white Mary-Jane shoes. She had bright emerald green eyes, and an equally bright smile on her face.

Lars rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, before looking at the woman again. He noticed the fact that her entire body was glowing. It seemed as if it was ethereal in nature, Seisha seemed to be entranced by this as well. Andrea shrugged, placing a hand on her hip as she gave the woman a once over.

"I take it you are one of the spirits of this island?"

"You could say that. I… I committed a crime when I was still alive, a foolish action really. I ended up taking the life of someone in my own anger. When I was found, I was executed for my wrongdoings. However, it seems that I am still tethered to this world, as I appeared shortly after. I believe I have some unfinished business, but I don't exactly know what that may be," she said.

"You…" Bethany said, taking a few steps forward. "You poor thing… how can it be that you are still on this planet? You should have already moved on. Perhaps… it's because you didn't die with Atua in your heart? It isn't too late… if you devote yourself to him, he might grant you passage into heaven,"

"Is… is she serious?" the raven haired girl asked, glancing at the others.

"I'm afraid so sweetheart. So, I take it you are blackened from one of the many killing games then? What did you in? You stab someone to death or something?"

"No… I smashed a violin over someone's head, actually. Then I uh… hid the pieces in my case." she said, rubbing her neck. "Okay look, I only had one violin. I could have gotten away with it if I had smashed Raef with the case instead. Hell, I have no idea how one good smack kills someone,"

"If you are going to kill someone, just get rid of the body. Sheesh, if there's no body then there's no trial," Lars said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Whatever the case, ignore the Prophet of Atua, we need to get to that stupid village, are you gonna take us? If not then fuck off, we don't need a sorry excuse of a killer to help us,"

"Why the fuck would I help an asshole like you? Do you think I'm blind? I was offering help to the girl and the sharkboy. You can stay here and rot for all I care," the raventte said. Bethany looked at the ghost, clearly confused.

"What do you mean by that miss? Did Lars do something awful?"

"Yes he did, he…"

"You know… I'm sure there's technology somewhere on this island to bring you back to life," Lars said, causing the woman to quirk a brow. "I mean, that useless cunt Miyaki was brought back to life. And even if I don't particularly care about women, I could help you get a body."

"Tch… as if I'm going to fall for such an obvious trap."

"No… but if you utter another world, I'll make sure your journey to the underworld is painful," Andrea said, drawing her sword partially. The ravenette looked at the sword, a fearful look on her face.

"Alright… fine. I'll keep my mouth shut and guide you to the village," she said, turning around. "My name is Rei Makoto by the way, I'm the former Ultimate Violinist. Stick close to me, we're not that far from Hora Village,"

_**xxx(Jibo)xxx**_

**Location: Jibo's Mansion (House of Horrors)**

**Time: 9:00 AM**

**Date: August 3rd, 2020**

"There is a reason I have gathered you here today," Jibo said, as he looked at Sebastian and Saino. The two of them stood next to each other, as the doctor faced away, glancing towards the windows. They were currently in the mansion's library. The scent of old books wafted around the room, giving it an almost serene feel.

"Does it involve whatever Syd is planning?" Saino asked curiously, taking her eyes away from her clipboard. "Sir, not to question your motives but… what is the purpose of all of this?"

"You know this already my dear. To bring a new, superior race of humans upon this planet of ours. Us Homo Sapiens are quite weak… a single sickness could kill us if we're not too careful," he said. As if on cue, he started coughing loudly. He clutched his cane tightly as he was hunched over, holding a handkerchief in his grasp. He looked at it, seeing the dots of blood on the smooth silk. "Case in point, my own cancer,"

"Are you certain you aren't doing this for a more personal reason?" Sebastian quipped, causing the man to glance over his shoulder. "I understand… you lost your wife to an unknown illness… You experimented on your own best friend, and for what? In the end you weren't able to achieve anything. Why put these kids through this? Why make them suffer?"

"Sebastian… you don't know true suffering. You have yet to lose anyone close to you, I'm afraid. Your wife is safe and in our care, and so are your children. However, two people who are also very precious to you, are in their own killing game," he said, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a polaroid picture. He handed it to the butler who looked at it, aghast.

"S-Shiho? And Mariah as well?"

"That is correct. My little lab right of a niece is currently in her own game. Kuma-Kuma Land is now fully operational. However, the one running it called me this morning and shared some news with me. I had to send Kinsei there to see what was up,"

The man looked back at the picture, focusing on the smiling faces of the two girls. Though his focus was more on his own niece, Mariah, a sweet young girl who he had been taking care of for awhile. Her father, his brother, had abandoned her at a young age. Her mother struggled to care for her, thankfully he and Grace had been able to help from time to time. She was growing up fine and with the best education they could afford. Just knowing that she was potentially in danger made him worry. The air grew still for a moment, as a buzzing sound filled the room, a bright light flashed next to them, as a portal sprung open.

"God! You do not know what a pain in my fucking ass it was to get this bitch!"

From the portal emerged a young man, with black colored hair, that bore shades of purple within. He had fair colored skin, and was wearing a military style coat, that was a royal purple in color. Beneath, he was wearing a long sleeved white shirt, a pair of black jeans and boots. His hands were covered by matching gloves. He had a cane in his grasp, and seemed to be dragging someone with him, a woman by the looks of it.

"Welcome back Son, things have grown quite interesting here in the last few days. You missed the first class trial,"

"What? Already? Goddamn it… if it wasn't for this slut, I would have gotten here faster," he snapped angrily, kicking the woman in the ribs. She cried in anger and pain, swearing at the teenager in Spanish. "Hey! Speak English bitch, I wanna understand you!'

"Please, seat her at the table, we have much to discuss,"

Kinsei rolled his eyes, pulling the woman to a standing position, shoving her into one of the chairs near a table. Once she was seated, Jibo sa down across from her. He looked her over briefly. Her head was covered in a dark black bag, and she was unable to see anything. She was wearing a sleeveless, plaid flannel shirt, with a black tank top underneath. She was also wearing a pair of jeans and what looked like slippers on her feet. Her arms were littered in cuts and bruises, along with long healed scars. She had a caramel colored complexion, and long brown hair that peeked from under the bag. The Ultimate Alchemist untied the bag, pulling it from her head.

Fiery blue eyes started at the Ultimate Biologist. They held so much rage and fury, that he would have died, if looks could kill, of course. Her curled hair was matted in places, and she had a scabbing cut on her forehead, along with a dark circle under her eye. She rested her bound hands on top of the table, glaring fiercely at her kidnapper.

"Maria Del Rio. Good of you to join us,"

"Chinga tu madre, cabron!"

"That isn't a nice thing to say miss. Especially when talking to the man who captured your son," Jibo said. Maria straightened up a bit, as she looked at the man.

"If you think you can use me as a bargaining chip, then you have another thing coming," Maria said firmly. "My son, is three times the man that you are. He will not fall to your whims,"

"Oh my dear, but he already has." Jibo said, glancing at Saino. She reached for her tablet, tapping a few things on it, sliding it before the woman. Maria looked at the screen, seeing the video feed. "That is footage of the first class trial, your son tried to save his friend, and yet, Jose still died,"

"You people are plagues. You think showing me this is going to change anything?" the woman spat angrily. "You brought me here for a reason, so say it, if not then do what you will with me,"

"I see you are just as feisty as your son. Tell me Maria… why do you think I brought you here?" the biologist asked. "I'm sure you've got some ideas,"

"Of course I do… you intend to use me in your next motive. Whatever it is that you have planned, it won't work. I'm certain you know why," the woman said firmly. Jibo chuckled, as he stood up from his seat, walking towards the end of the table.

"Miss Del Rio, the way you speak… it seems to me you are relying on someone to come after me," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "Do you honestly believe Sparkling Justice is going to get me?"

"I know what he's capable of, he's my son after all. It doesn't matter what you do to me… you know that he's going to kill you regardless,"

"Hmm… you are correct in that assumption, I guess. Of course, I've already tracked down the whereabouts of your daughter Erika and your niece Anna. If he decides to be a hardass during the next motive, then I can easily kill them as well,"

"You lay a hand on my daughters and I will assure you, he will come after you. Through hell and high water, he will stop at nothing until you are good and dead," Maria replied, earning a laugh from the man. A small beep filled the room, causing the man to reach into his pocket for his cellphone. He glanced at the screen, his smile widening.

"Kinsei, lock her up in the basement with the other captives. Syd is finished preparations, the next motive is going to start it soon. Provided Surrashakuma gets there in time,"

"Sure thing pops," Kinsei said, grabbing a hold of Maria's bound hands. He pulled her to a standing position, tugging her along. He stopped before Sebastian, reaching into his pocket for what looked like a photo. "By the way, your niece Mariah is a blood stain on the ground. They had to scoop her up with a sponge after falling from the roller coaster," he said, handing him the picture. He took his leave shortly after.

"Mariah," the man softly said, dropping the picture to the floor. He balled his fist, remaining silent as Maria was dragged away.

"I apologize Sebastian… she wasn't supposed to have that kind of fate. Though I'm certain she'll live on, in fact.. .she might be closer than you imagine," Jibo said, a smirk on his face.

_**xxx**_

**Location: Hora Village**

**Time: 9:30 AM**

**August 3rd, 2020**

"Miyaki, are you okay?" Daisuke asked softly. The circus performer nodded, groaning in pain. Alice gave her a sheepish look, as she slowly tugged on the thread.

"Sorry, we don't have any anesthetics. I don't like seeing you in pain,"

"It's alright Alice, no harm no foul," Miyaki said, giving her a thankful smile. She glanced out the airplane window, a far off look on her face. "I wasn't expecting to see my killer here… I would have assumed he'd have gone to hell after what he did. I guess that's just wishful thinking,"

"Out of all the spirits here, Dylan is the most troublesome. He believes that, if he antagonizes the others, then he won't be subjected to moving on," Tsumugi explained, from a nearby chair, facing the two. The tail end of the fuselage had been converted into a living area. "I've decided to put everything behind me and look toward the future, yet I haven't moved on,"

"You're probably here because your soul is tethered to this place," Daisuke said, glancing at the ground. "I don't exactly know much about ghosts and spirits, but I think that's what's happening here,"

"Whatever the case may be, we need to come up with a strategy to get out of here. Not only that, but we need to find Seisha and Bethany too. They're part of the group, and I won't stand to leave them behind," Haruna said firmly, from a few seats down. She and Reukra were currently in the middle of a game of chess, one that the young man was losing.

"Haru is right. I'm just sad that I wasn't there to help you guys with those sirens. Then again, I might have just gotten myself killed," he said softly. He moved his Bishop forward, causing Haruna to move her Queen, taking the piece.

"Checkmate," she said. Reukra's eyes widened in surprise. As if on cue, another head sprouted from his shoulder.

"What...what the fucking fuck!? How dare you fucking do that, that's fucking cheating!"

"Gah… I'm sorry Haruna! I didn't mean that," the boy said, willing his copy away. "I'm so tired of these stupid copies,"

"I'm sorry Reukra. If I had made the right choice back then, I could have probably saved your life. You wouldn't be dealing with those extra copies," Daisuke said, rubbing his neck in shame. Reukra shook his head, giving him a smile.

"Hey, it isn't your fault. It was a heat of the moment thing, I don't blame you for anything." he said.

"You are such a kind soul Reukra. If you were someone else, I'm sure you'd be very angry at Daisuke for what he did," the hostess said. Reukra shrugged, grabbing all of the black pieces, setting them back to his side.

"There's no reason for me to be angry. What's done is done… besides, I'm sure my mom would be ashamed of me if I held a grudge. She taught me better than that,"

"You are very mature for your age Reukra. You know… you remind me of a friend, a girl named Kitty. She was the lion tamer in our circus troupe. She's such a kind person, despite being pranky in nature. I'm sure you two would get along swimmingly if you met!" Miyaki said happily.

"I'm sure too! I've heard a lot about Burnett's circus. I would love to see you perform Kiki! I'm willing to bet you'd steal the show," the orange haired boy said.

"Hehehe… you are just saying that because you want to see Miyaki in a leotard," Alice said, giving Reukra a brief smirk, returning her attention to what she was doing. Reukra's face became red in embarrassment.

"No! That isn't it at all!"

"So you don't want to see Miyaki in a leotard?" Daisuke asked teasingly, holding back a smirk. "Here I thought a growing boy would love to see a girl in a skin tight outfit,"

"I don't mind, I'm actually wearing mine underneath. It's kind of torn though," Miyaki said. Alice finished the final stitch, cleaning the wound. Miyaki stood up, reaching for the hooks on the side of her skirt, undoing them. "I'm actually excited, it's been awhile since I work my leotard by itself!"

"Miyaki don't, please… I'm sure you look nice in it, but I don't think I could handle it," Reukra said, his face glowing even redder. Miyaki rolled her eyes, fixing her skirt.

"If you say so. I'd rather get this one fixed before I show you… who knows? Maybe one day we'll find a lake to swim in, one without sirens," the blonde said.

"I would love to go for a swim...it's been awhile," the storyteller said. Alice finished cleaning her hands, directing her gaze towards Tsumugi, who had been watching intently for a few minutes.

"Tsumugi, I have a question for you. You said the SCP Foundation was the one who wrote these runes correct?"

"Indeed, I'm not aware how it was done but I do believe one of you did it,"

"Ibb you mean? This seems like something the Ultimate Runecrafter would do. However, if she did create this barrier, why doesn't she remember?" Haruna asked curiously. Daisuke cleared his throat, leaning back in his seat.

"Actually, I have a good reason behind that," the storyteller said, leaning back in his seat. "The SCP Foundation is known to use Amnesics when it comes to certain things. Whenever an SCP is discovered by a civilian, a certain medicine is used. I'm willing to bet an B-class Amnesic was used on Ibb. It's probably the reason why she vaguely remembers the Tragedy,"

"I wasn't even aware that Amnesics were a thing," Reukra said firmly.

"Actually, they've been a thing for a long time. Medicines like Diazepam have amnesia as a side effect. Fenrir used various types of amnesics when they needed to get information," Alice said, tugging on her glove. "I remember one time, my former general, Sachiko, ended up using a special gas made from an amnesic, in order to make an entire town forget what had happened there,"

"Wow… Fenrir is no joke… whatever happened to them? I used to hear things about them from time to time." Tsumugi asked curiously. "Mukuro never spoke about her days there, but she did mention you a few times,"

"You know Mukuro?" Alice asked, almost excitedly. She cleared her throat, forcing her smile back a bit. "Mukuro was my superior. She was one of the many soldiers in our ranks, a badass in her own right. She had the strength of 100 men, and took down various militias during our time together. But to answer your first question though… most of the members of Fenrir were killed,"

"In war?" Miyaki asked curiously. Alice shook her head, a fearful look on her face.

"No… someone else… someone else entirely,"

"Guys, Lars is back and he brought Seisha and Bethany with him!" Felicks cried, as he entered the fuselage. Daisuke stood up, following the Ultimate Fairy out of the plane, and down into the village proper, just in time for a scream to tear through the air.

"What the hell? Andrea is something wrong?" the demonologist asked as he looked at the woman. She hissed in anger as she backed away from the barrier.

"This barrier… it's keeping me out of this village. I'm afraid I cannot follow you deeper in," she said firmly.

"Seisha!" Dalila cried, shortening the distance between herself and the samebito. She hugged him tightly, a smile on her face. "I'm so glad to see you! Are you okay? Did the sirens hurt you?"

"I'm okay Miss Dalila. The sirens didn't hurt me, Bethany helped me out of the water, and she even fought against some monsters in the woods," he said, glancing at the Pele.

"It was no trouble, the light of Atua guided us along his path, and lead us back to you all. I am very pleased to see you are all alright," the woman said happily. She turned to Andrea, a frown on her face. "I'm certain you have a reason as to why you cannot enter this village?"

"It's probably because she's a demon," Nico said, as she looked the woman over. Lars swallowed the lump in his throat, chuckling slightly.

"A demon? What are you talking about ghost? This is my sister Andrea… she came searching for me and was captured by Jibo Momota," he said, brushing her off. "I also do not appreciate you calling her a demon, you stupid undead bitch,"

"Nico is rarely ever wrong, in fact her talent with guessing has lead to our extended survival here. She accurately predicted the movements of creatures on the island so we could avoid them," Tsumugi said, as she stood before Andrea. "If Nico says she's a demon, then she's a demon,"

"I knew it… I knew Atua was telling me something!" Bethany said, glaring at Lars. "You're sister was brought here to kill us, wasn't she?"

"No you idiot!" Lars said, tugging on his jacket. "Alright… I lied. Andrea is my sister, but she was turned into a demon by Momota. We ended up running into each other last night. Besides, who the fuck cares? She's my sister and will be part of our group! You let Ice boy and Tits join the group! Even without knowing them!"

"Excuse me? What the hell did you just fucking call me?" Alice cried out, gritting her teeth in anger. Her eyes burned with anger, as she approached the man, thankfully, Ethan stopped her before she got to him.

"Don't Alice...he's just antagonising you. He's just a misogynistic twerp! He's gonna regret insulting people one of these days." the man said, as he turned to the demonologist. "Just know that if someone, anyone attacks you, no one here is ever going to help you. I've known you less than twenty four hours, but I already detest you. If I wasn't at risk of dying, I would have frozen you solid!"

"Oh...I'm so scared~"

"You aren't really doing yourself any favors man. You keep acting like a dickhead and you'll get yourself some enemies," Ashton said firmly. "But by all means, keep insulting the only people that could save your ass in the future. I'm sure you've got some funny shit to say,"

"This is the reason we'll never get out of this island. All of us keep egging each other on. We've already lost 3 people!" Nyx said, clenching her hand in anger. "So please...let's stop acting like kids and figure out a way to get out of here,"

"She's right. I might be a ghost now, but even I wish to get off this horrible island. I am not going to spend the rest of eternity in this place," Rei said, as she stood next to Nico. Alice gasped in surprise, on the verge of tears.

"Rei! Y-you're here too?"

"Hello Alice, it's a shame to see you here," the violinist said, frowning. "I'm glad that you are doing well, especially after you escaped from the moon. I was expecting to see you with Hayate or Shiori,"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Alice cried out, almost in anger. "Everyone keeps saying Shiori and Hayate are alive! They're not alive, they're fucking dead!"

"You know… Sayaka and Rei here have mentioned Hayate and Shiori being alive. Nico also spoke in detail about some of the events. Alice, who was the mastermind of the Horizon Killing Game?" Eris asked curiously.

"Hiyoko Saionji. And her helper was Ichiro Aiko, Nico guessed his death. He slipped on an ice cube and stabbed himself in the eye with a knife!" the veterinarian said. Nico furrowed her brow.

"No… that isn't it at all. Ichiro was the first one too…"

"_**Silence!" **_

Everyone jumped in surprise. They all slowly turned around, seeing a familiar animatronic bear standing in the center of the village. Surrashakuma tapped her cane roughly on the ground, a look of anger on her face.

"_**I can't believe this shit. You were about to talk about past killing games weren't you? Did you know that would be a violation of school rules?"**_

"Excuse me? What school rules?" Sayaka asked, glaring at the two toned bear. "I'm not sure if you noticed but we are not in school!"

"_**I don't know if you noticed honey, but I am the one who makes the rules here. As Jibo Momota's Duly Appointed Deputy, I am the one in charge of your sorry asses. I added it to the rules. Whoever speaks of the previous games, will get punished! And that goes double for you ghosts!" **_Surrashakuma cried, shaking her fist angrily.

"Ohoho! And how exactly are you going to punish us? We're dead… it's not like you can kill us!" Dylan asked cheekily. Surrashakuma grinned, reaching behind her back. She pulled out what looked like a vacuum cleaner hose, aiming it at the boy.

"_**Looks like I get to introduce you to your new best friend! The Poltergust 3000! Time to suck em up!" **_she happily cried, switching the device on. Dylan gave a cry of surprise, as he was being sucked into the device. He gave one final scream, disappearing from sight. "_**There you are! While I can't kill you, I can keep you in here for as long as I need! This is made of smoof by the way, so they'll be no breaking out!"**_

"Even in death we can't be allowed to rest in peace. What is it that you are here for? You have to have a reason if you don't want any of us to speak of the previous games. Would your plans be spoiled if we spoke about them in detail?" Rei asked curiously. Surrashakuma giggled, twirling her cane in her grasp.

"_**You are 100% correct sweetheart! Sadly, we can't let you ghosties fuck shit up! However I am here for another reason! To deliver your next motive!" **_

"We meet again," the voice of Syd said, as he entered the village, from the opposite side. He had his hands shoved in his coat pockets, standing next to the two-toned bear. "The Doctor has tasked me to help Surrashakuma with the next motive. It's quite a simple one, actually,"

He reached into his lab coat, pulling out a tablet from within. He tapped it a few times before holding out to everyone that was assembled there. Surrashakuma giggled as she aimed her cane at the tablet.

"_**This right here is what Syd has been working very hard to achieve! You see, Jibo sent his son Kinsei off the island to gather your loved ones! All of them happen to be trapped within this, the Neo World Program!" **_

"The Neo...what?" Miya asked, tilting her head in confusion. Daisuke grit his teeth, clenching his fists.

"The Neo World Program was created by three students in Hope's Peak Academy. Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist, Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer, and Miaya Gekkougahara, the Ultimate Therapist. It was a program that was meant to help people with mental disorders by placing them in a controlled, Fully 3 dimensional video game environment," he said, briefly explaining what the program was. His gaze shifted to Syd, who had a look of surprise on his face. "But if you have access to it, nothing good can come of it,"

"You'd be surprised what someone can do when you have the proper tools. When Hope's Peak Academy was destroyed at the end of the first game, Jibo was able to salvage the devices he helped create. The Neo World Program has been perfected, no longer having the glitches it once had. However, there is a more practical use for it," he said, tapping one of the images. "You're next motive lies in here,"

"Heh… why the hell would we want to go into a stupid video game?" Ashton asked, holding back his chuckles. "What do you get out of it? You are just wasting your time, we're just going to refuse whatever it is you have planned for us,"

"_**Alright, suit yourself. You don't have to agree to anything if you don't want to buddy… However, it would be disappointing if you missed your chance," **_the two-toned bear said, a look of shame on her face.

"Missed our chance for what?" Shiro asked curiously. "A chance for you to make us suffer? After all the shit we've been through these past couple days? If you think you can bait me with something then you've got another thing coming!"

"_**What I mean is… well… Syd perhaps you should tell them,"**_

"If you say so. All of you want to escape this island correct? Well… this motive will accomplish just that. You see, the area we have prepared for you contains something that you all need to be free of this island. Golden tickets, 25 of them in fact," the surgeon said, causing them to gasp in surprise. "All you have to do, is go in and find them,"

"Golden tickets you say?" Eris asked.

"And if we find them, we can get outta here?" Kanemoto added, earning a nod from Syd.

"That's right… find a ticket and you get to sail out of here."

"Don't listen to him!" Sayaka said, jumping in front of the group. She gave them all a firm look, almost begging for them to rethink things. "This is just a trick, he's not telling us something!"

A loud sound filled the air, as Surrashakuma turned the Poltergust back on. Sayaka let out a scream as she was sucked into the machine. "_**I hate ghosts… eh, just to be safe, I'll suck the rest of you up!" **_she said, aiming at Nico. The girl squealed in surprise, trying and failing to get away. Tsumugi and Rei followed suit, both being trapped within the machine. "_**Now then… won't you please reconsider?"**_

"Let them go! They're already dead, don't involve them in this stupid game!" Miyaki cried, glaring at the bear. "You think you have the right to incentivize us, and dictate what will happen in our lives. Well I won't let you!"

"What will you do about it sweetheart? You are only alive because of Jibo's effort. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Syd said, reaching into his pocket. "Or maybe I should give you a little bit of a push,"

He threw a canister into the air, which burst almost immediately. A thick pink gas started flowing out of it, causing everyone to start freaking out. "Shit, it's sleeping gas! Don't breathe it in or else you'll pass out!" Daisuke shouted, holding his shirt over his nose and mouth. He started heading toward the woods, only for more canisters to come from that direction. The entire area started to fill with smoke, the subjects slowly started to fall, passing out within seconds.

"_**What was that for?"**_

"Clearly, we weren't getting through to them. Their relatives are already in the Neo World Program, but knowing them, they'd sacrifice them in order to get off this island. If that were to happen, then we wouldn't be able to achieve our plan," Syd said, lowering his mask once the smoke dissipated. "I still don't understand why Master Jibo wishes to do this… is this supposed to be an experiment on the mind?"

"_**Eh… I think he's doing something else. The experiment was called "Reality vs Delusions" I think by putting them in this simulation, he's going to make them feel like they're living in that world. That delusional fake world will start becoming reality, until eventually, they won't want to leave,"**_

"Ah… I see… but if that's the case, then why pick _that _of all things?"

"_**Because Syd! That voyage only lasted 4 days before shit hit the bucket! That's exactly what he's giving these kiddies! 4 days… if they don't commit a murder by then, then all of them will die! Their brains will be turned into Kid Cuisine!" **_Surrashakuma said very excitedly.

"Hmm… what about the ghosts then? The reason why you were late was because you were tracking the others down. Evan, Ren, Hikaru and Mallory were hard to track weren't they?"

"_**Ugh… yes. They were annoying to find, but I sucked them all up just like the boss intended me to do. He wants to get rid of these apparitions as well. Though one of the ghosts I caught could be quite troublesome. He has a special motive set out for the ghosts, but he won't tell me what it is!" **_She said excitedly, glancing at the unconscious subjects. "_**Whelp, time to get these idiots to their pods… it's going to be a fun six hours isn't it?"**_

"Yes… as if working most of the night on this wasn't enough...Master… why are you keeping things from me? Why didn't you tell me you had something lined up for the spirits too?" He mumbled under his breath. Neither of them realized they were being watched. Behind a nearby pine tree, Andrea smirked.

_**xxx(End of Act 4)xxx**_

_**Surviving Subjects 23 **_

_**Ghost Peeps: 9? **_

_**The Number of Fucks Lars gives: 0**_

**A/N: Welcome one and all to Act 4 of Chapter 2 for this story! The first chapter to be written entirely on Google Docs! Yes I finally made the change from Open Office to Docs and let me tell you it is so much better! Why the fuck did it take me so long?**

**Anywho...today is a very special day. Today marks the 1 year anniversary of A New Hope's Final Chapter! That's right ladies and Gentlemen, the story that started it all turns 1 today! Hurray! Hurray! I stayed up extra late preparing this chapter just so I could get it out to you to enjoy! This chapter has been very fun to write, and with it done, I can finally cast away the Chapter's title and change it! Though that will come next time!**

**So… now the motive has been revealed! 25 Golden tickets are stashed away in the Neo World Program! It gives everyone an incentive to play the game, but with a 4 day time limit, what do you think will happen? Will someone murder? Will someone find a golden ticket? Will Lars kill someone else? Who knows really… oh wait…. I do! **

**Not only do our friends get a motive, but so do our friendly neighborhood ghosts! But what exactly could you offer a ghost? Must be something pretty sweet if it means they get a special motive. Not only that, the relatives of 7 subjects are also trapped within the Neo World Program! That certainly gives them more of a reason to be there!**

**Regardless of what may happen, the next Act is going to be the beginning of the motive… or well, the beginning of this Chapter's setting. You all thought the Hora Village was the setting, ha...gotcha! That wasn't it at all, it was just the meeting grounds! If you can figure out where this is going, I'll give you a shoutout in the next chapter. I left a big clue in this chapter… or a tiny clue, depending on the ones who skim read this… I know you are out there…**

**Anyway… the next chapter will be ready by… Monday at the earliest? I dunno… I got a very busy weekend ahead of me. My friend is celebrating his 2 year anniversary with his wife and we wanted to have a small get together. They're my best friends, my surrogate siblings and my family. I also turn 24 today… that's neat I guess… one year closer to being able to rent a car in any state! Yay?**

**Lol… anyway, I'll see you all next time on... Big Barney's Game of Skate!**


	20. C2 Act 5: The Ship of Dreams

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 5

The Ship of Dreams

_**xxx**_

**Location: ?**

**Time: ?**

**Date: ?**

A groan escaped Daisuke's lips, as he slowly came back to consciousness. His head felt foggy, and his limbs hurt. It was as if he had been asleep for years, and was finally waking up. Pins and needles rocked his entire body as blood started flowing back into his appendages. Hundreds of thoughts were swirling in his head. Where was he? What happened to him? We're the others safe? All of these thoughts came to a halt when he finally opened his eyes, only to be greeted by hardwood flooring. He sat up slightly, brushing his hands on the boards. They looked brand new, as if they had been cut from the finest oak trees in the world. A light varnish had been slathered on, giving it a rich amber color that seemed to make the wood shine in the light. He let out another groan as his back popped, sitting back against the wall behind him.

"What… what is going on?" he mumbled quietly.

His cerulean eyes looked around for a moment, spotting something that looked off to him. The area before him looked like a railing. It was enclosed, painting white and bearing what looked like round rivets, securing metal plates together. The rail itself was made of oak, metal studs formed what looked like a framed window. Looking up, the ceiling was also made of what looked to be metal, round lights could be seen above, though they were currently off. He noticed what looked like parlor windows as well. The glass was very well made, with white lines painted delicately on its surface, framed in dark oak wood. Daisuke noticed, he was sitting next to an open door, a rectangular shaped sign hung above it, currently being turned off.

"1st class Entrance?" he said softly to himself. He climbed to his feet, stumbling a bit as he regained his bearings. It was then that he noticed what he was wearing.

It was one of the fanciest suits he had ever seen. It looked to be made out of the finest silk in the world, black in color with hardly any wrinkles. He was wearing a pressed white shirt underneath, with a wide collar, that was firmly secure, around his neck he wore a bow tie. He wore a matching pair of slacks and formal oxford shoes, made out of thick black leather. He looked at his reflection on the glass window, noticing his hair was slicked back, and the small scar on his cheek was gone. He swallowed hard, shuddering a bit.

"What in the world is going on? Where the hell am I? I thought I was on Hora Island!" he exclaimed.

"I don't think we're on Hora Island anymore," a voice said, causing him to turn around.

A beautiful young woman stood behind him. She looked very familiar to him, having light caramel colored skin. She had long brownish brown locks reaching down to her mid back, kept in waves. She was wearing a form fitting, party gown, which was a light green in color. Her shoulders were left bare, though she had a feather boa around her shoulders. The dress features a low collar, showing off a good amount of her cleavage, the dress was split down the side, showing off a lot of her legs as well. She wore matching slippers on her feet. Her icy-blue eyes locked on him, a small smile appearing on her face.

"You know… you look quite dashing in a suit,"

"Eris?" Daisuke asked, earning a nod from the woman. She looked herself over for a moment, reaching up to her head, running her fingers through her hair.

"Spend a couple days with snakes for hair, and you forget what it feels like to have a normal head of hair," she said jokingly, looking around. "I can safely say, we aren't on Hora Island anymore… in fact, I believe we're somewhere else entirely," she said, glancing toward one of the windows. Daisuke took a few steps toward it, eyes widening.

All he could see was ocean. As far as the eye could see, crystal blue waters spanned around them. He noticed something else… the fact that they were moving, and very fast at that. The area below the railing was white, only for it to meet a dark black further below. He noticed what looked like portholes and rivets as well. His jaw dropped for a moment, as if recognizing those features. He stepped away from the railing, turning away. He started running forward as fast as he could.

"Daisuke wait! Ugh… you're gonna make me run in heels?" Eris cried as she sprinted after him. She stumbled a bit, but managed not to fall. "Honestly, can you give a girl a warning before you do this?"

Daisuke slowed down after awhile, noticing what looked like other people. He didn't want to raise a commotion or anything like that, so he kept moving at a hurried pace. He looked around for a brief moment, noticing the large boats that were placed on the deck, attached to white davits that were cranked in. He panted a bit, noticing something else out of the corner of his eye. He slowly turned his head, jaw dropping when he saw a large funnel, sticking up from the ground, easily towering over him and the rest of the people around him. Eris came to a stop beside him, following his gaze, the look on her face was similar to his. Visible confusion, shock and disbelief.

"No way," he said softly, taking a step back. He bumped into one of the lifeboats, rapidly turning around. His eyes fell on the metal plate bolted onto the side. The name "RMS Titanic" was clearly visible on it. "This must be the Neo World Program!"

"That computer thing you were talking about?" the gorgon asked curiously. "You mean to tell me that we were brought into that program? This is all… a video game?"

"This is more than just a video game Eris. The Neo World Program was created with the intention of helping those with social anxiety and mental disorders. It was made to help people with Alzheimers and Dementia, as a means to recover those memories without having to do anything drastic," the storyteller said, bowing his head slightly. "However, with the destruction of Hope's Peak Academy, that information could have fallen into the hands of anyone. Case in point, Jibo was able to secure that data and recreate the program on Hora Island,"

"Meaning we're stuck here right? That's fantastic," the Greek woman mumbled, looking around briefly. "These people… we've been standing here for a few minutes but none of them have acknowledged us, why do you think that is?"

"They're NPCs… they're probably programmed to ignore "Players". Meaning if you want one of them to talk to you, you have to talk to them," the man explained. "We must be classified as Passengers… if this is indeed the Titanic, that means we're probably considered First Class passengers,"

"Why do you assume that?"

"Well, we walked through the First Class Promenade without issues. I'm sure an officer or a steward would have said something to us. Thing is, now we have to focus on something else, finding our friends," Daisuke said firmly, tugging on his suit. "Not just that… Jibo put my mother in this program, she's here somewhere. Whatever it is he's planning, might reveal itself soon,"

"Hmm...you're right. We need to start looking, but I'm not exactly a history buff… all I know is that...something happened to the Titanic." Eris said, tapping her chin. "But what… god dammit, I can't remember. Daisuke do you know what happened to this ship?"

"Of course I do! This was one of my favorite stories growing up, it's one of the most romantic ones too! You see, the Titanic is hailed as the world's largest luxury cruise liner. It was built in Belfast, Ireland. She sailed from Southampton, England on April 10th 1912 and…" the man paused, closing his eyes. "Uh… she sailed to Cherburg, France and then made port in Queenstown, Ireland before heading to the Atlantic Ocean… but she… she…"

"Don't tell me you can't remember!" Eris cried, placing her hands on Daisuke's shoulders, shaking him a bit. "Come on! You have to know… something happened to this ship, something bad but I don't know what!"

"This… it must be an effect from the Neo World Program. Jibo must have suppressed our memories revolving this particular event. He must want us to experience whatever is about to happen, in which case we need to act normal,"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well… if we act out, then something bad might happen. We don't know what these NPCs are capable of after all. I believe our first priority should be to convene with the others. Once we're together, we'll figure out what this motive is all about," Daisuke said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He turned back towards the Enclosed Promenade, back towards the First Class Entrance.

"Then let's act normal. Here, act as my escort," the gorgon said, slipping her arm through his, almost hugging his arm. "This way, people will believe we're more… normal,"

"If you say so." Daisuke said with a shrug.

* * *

**Location: First Class Dining Saloon (D Deck)**

**Time: ?**

**Date: April, 1912**

"So, is that everyone then?" Diego asked, as he looked around the lavish room.

The saloon was absolutely astounding. The floors were covered in a beautifully crafted carpet, which blended together various colors. A dark wine red, yellow, blue and green to name a few. Hundreds of tables were placed all over the room, all of them neatly aligned, and being set with the utmost care. Napkins sat atop dinner plates, in the shape of cones, while various forks and spoons were placed at either side of the plates. Several carts housing extra utensils could be seen stopped at various areas of the room. His eyes focused briefly on the ceiling, taking in all of the woodwork and carvings throughout it. The attention to detail was indescribable.

"For the most part. We're missing a few people, Mackenzie, Shiro, Charlotte, Miyaki, Daisuke and Eris to name a few." Dalila said. She glanced at herself again, no longer was her skin a dark green, in fact it was back to its normal color, a dark chocolate brown. She was still wearing a bright green dress, akin to the one she normally wore on Hora Island, this one though, looked a lot fancier than she could ever imagine.

"Why is it always those five that are missing together?" Miya snapped, sounding annoyed. She flipped her hair off her shoulder. It had been pulled out of its twin braids, and put into a tight ponytail at the side of her head. "It's almost as if we don't matter in the grand scheme of things,"

"Now you are just being silly. It's not as if they're always together… we probably spawned in different places, that's all," Alice said, tugging on her collar a bit. She wasn't used to being in a tight fitting dress, especially due to her large her chest was. "I must admit, I wasn't expecting to be brought here of all places,"

"Do you recognize it Alice?" Kanemoto asked curiously. She was fiddling with her own attire, she was used to wearing more up to date clothes. Being in a gown was something that she didn't like, especially with her hair being down to its full length. "It feels familiar, but I can't put a finger on it,"

"We're on the Titanic, you morons," Lars spat, setting down his glass. The ice clinked softly as he reached for a bottle of bourbon, pouring himself another glass. He put the cap back on, reaching for the glass. "Jesus, I know I'm surrounded by idiots, but I didn't think you were all illiterate too,"

"Could you please shut your goddamn mouth? You never do anything for the benefit of others, just yourself! If you've got nothing nice to say, than don't say anything at all!" Mariana exclaimed, her eyes burning furiously. "God, you are lucky I can't go full dragon here, or else I would-"

"Or else you'd what?" the demonologist said, lips curled into a smile. "You'd kill me? Go ahead and try honey, but remember we're in a killing game,"

"Honestly, how you can bicker like children at any given moment is astounding," Ibb said, crossing her arms in annoyance. "Our lives are at risk here, and yet here you are drinking like there's no tomorrow… and you," she shifted her gaze toward Mariana, who's brows furrowed in anger.

"Me? What did I do?"

"You egged him on… I may be a bit antiquated, due to being stuck in a painting for 400 years, but this is not what I hoped the future generations would turn into. So please stop your bitching and work together towards our common goal. To get out of this game," the runecrafter said, glaring at the two.

"S-she's right you know. We'll never get anywhere if we don't work together… I for one am not dying because of you people," Riku said, standing firmly. Ashton smirked, towering over the younger man. Both of which looked perfectly human, lacking their neko and treant features, instead, both wore fancy suits.

"What do you mean by, 'you people?' huh?" he asked. "You talk big when the others lay down the law, yet you are the biggest coward of them all. What can you do huh? Aside from turning tail and running when you see a creature tougher than you,"

"Ashton, don't," Felicks said, placing a hand on the man's arm. He looked down at him, anger on his face. "Don't do this… we're bigger than this. We can win this game without resorting to violence!"

"Don't touch me, you stupid fairy!" the treant snapped, pushing the young man into a nearby table. The dishes clattered loudly, a few pieces of silverware falling to the ground. "I'm so sick of your face! God there isn't anyone here that pisses me off more than you!"

"Alright that is enough!" Ethan shouted angrily, slamming his fist against the table top. He forced himself to his feet, glaring at the taller man. "I don't know you, and you don't know me. But don't you dare do that again. You do not have the right to hurt others!"

"Oh? What's this? The little shit wants to stand up for himself? Well I've got the time, maybe I can knock you on your ass. You don't have your ice powers here after all,"

"Praise be Atua! You all are acting like children again. This is what lead to Isabella's death you know," Bethany said, having remained silent the entire time. She finished the last of her water, a sigh escaping her lips. "We should focus on more pressing matters. The fact that we are missing a few of our friends,"

"She's right. Aside from the five mentioned, Seisha, Haruna and Reukra are also missing. If this is indeed the Titanic, then it may take hours to find them. Days even," Alice said.

"The alien girl is missing too! If finding them is something that you all want then leave it to me! The S-class Missing Persons Investigator is on the case!" Miya said, giving the blonde veterinarian a salute.

"Before you even think of running around this ship, we should establish a meeting place. The people haven't noticed us at all. They're behaving on pre-programmed patterns… like the NPCs of a video game," Diego noted, noticing a few workers moving about the saloon. "Unless we interact with them, they'll leave us alone. Meaning we can move about without much issue,"

"You know, we haven't even talked about our _**motive**_ yet," Lars said, finishing his second glass of bourbon. He chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "Twenty five golden tickets were hidden within this vessel. A guaranteed way out, not to mention there are hostages among us. Curious isn't it?"

"He… he does make a good point. Syd had pictures of hostages, but we never got to see who they had captured. Do you think they are among us?" Alice asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter… we'll figure that out once all of have convened together. For now, we shall use the Palm Court on A-Deck. I believe that should accommodate us all,"

"Why not come here?" Kanemoto asked curiously, glancing at Diego. "This space is big enough for all of us,"

"It may be big enough for all of us, but let's not forget. We don't belong here, if we take the seats of actual passengers, then people will notice. This may be a fictional world within the Neo World Program, but it's meant to be as realistic as possible," the man said firmly. He glanced away, focusing on a nearby painting. "We could even be tossed into the brig, and arrested when we get to wherever this ship is going. The last thing we need is to spend more time here than we need to,"

"Fantastic, while all of you waste time finding those retards, I'm gonna take a walk. The weather is balmy and I want to enjoy the sun on the open Promenade," Lars said, standing up from his seat. He grabbed the bottle of bourbon, giving the others a one finger salute. "See ya later,"

"Ugh… what an unbearable prick," Mariana mumbled softly. She sighed as she glanced at Diego. "Alright, what's the plan? We splitting up and searching this ship?"

"That would take too long. Perhaps interacting with the NPCs will yield answers." he said, tapping his chin. "To my knowledge, the only areas that passengers were allowed to access ended on F-Deck. We can split up into groups and search each deck carefully,"

"Do you know how huge this ship is? It's big enough to accommodate over 3,000 Passengers!" Miya cried out. She reached into her small purse, glad to see she had a journal inside. "I'll get started, maybe someone on the Boat Deck saw them!"

"I'll go with her, I don't trust her by herself," Ethan said.

"I think I'll join you, I could use some air myself," Mariana added, joining the two. "We'll meet you at the Palm Court in an hour and a half," she said, leading the group out of the Saloon.

"If I remember correctly, there's an area here called Scotland Road, which runs from Stem to Stern. If they're down there, I'll be able to spot them," Kanemoto said.

"Fine, I'll cover D-Deck then… might as well make myself useful," Ashton said, earning a nod from Diego.

"I appreciate it buddy. Riku, Ibb, can I trust you to take a look through C-Deck?"

"Sure thing. Come on Ibb… we'll take of finding the others!"

"Of course, I can take this time to learn more about each other," the runecrafter said, a smile on her face.

"Excellent, I'll take care of B-Deck myself. Let's meet up soon guys, see ya later," Diego added, earning firm nods from the others.

* * *

**Location: E-Deck (Scotland Road)**

**Time: ?**

**Date: April, 1912**

"Haru, do you know where we are?" Reukra asked, as he looked around the area.

All he could see was a long, expansive corridor that seemed to go on for miles. On either side of the narrow hall, were various open gates that lead to other areas. The walls were painted an alabaster white color, and seemed to be made from the finest wood around. Several metal signs could be seen, pointing to various berths and passages. The Supreme Hostess sighed, shaking her head.

"I am afraid not, Reukra. However I do recognize the set up here. We are on a ship, a passenger liner most likely," she said, glancing at the younger lad.

"Are you sure?" He asked curiously. He looked away after a second, feeling foolish. I'm an idiot, you've worked on the Majestic Princess for a long time. Of course you know what a ship's layout would be like,"

"It's alright Reukra, we all forget things from time to time," the hostess said. She glanced around for a moment, noticing several people walking around, all of which paid them no attention. "I must admit, I've never been on a ship as a passenger. I've always been on the staff. This is a nice change of pace,"

"I'm… I'm glad then," the duplicator said happily. "We should try to find the others though. This stairwell seems to lead up." He noted, reading the sign. "Perhaps someone upstairs will help us,"

Haruna remained silent, allowing the young boy to lead. She looked him over, despite being younger than her, she had to admit, he was quite the looker. She didn't know what it was, be it his boyish charms or the mystery around him. The hostess seemed to be drawn to him, like a moth to a flame. Perhaps it was due to her own nervousness, but she seemed to understand him more than most of the others.

"Erm… so Haru… what uh.. what lead you to become a hostess?" he asked, his eyes drifting away from the floor. "You don't really seem like a people person."

"You're right. I get anxiety attacks quite often. There are times where I want to scream, and public places make me uncomfortable. However, I became a hostess simply because I needed the money," Haruna replied. The two reached the end of the corridor, finding some stairs that lead up. "I wanted to lighten the burden on my older sister Mika."

"Right, I think you told me this before. Sorry for making you repeat yourself," he said, running his neck in embarrassment. "I didn't want to make you retell that part,"

"It's fine Reukra. I don't mind talking about this, truly. Though I guess I never explained how I obtained my title," the hostess said, brushing the wrinkles on her dress. The two continued down the corridor, now on C-Deck.

"Yeah, you had talent before Hora Island. What school did you go to? It wasn't Hope's Peak was it?"

The hostess shook her head. "It was Hope Hills Preparatory Academy. They are a sister school to Hope's Peak Academy. However, they discarded the title of "Ultimate" in favor of "Supreme". You know how America is," she replied with a dainty giggle.

"Always gotta swing their balls around haha!" Reukra said, holding back his chuckles. "You know, I don't know much about HHPA. What's it like?"

"For the most part, it works like Hope's Peak. However there are a lot of differences. Hope's Peak went through many lengths to scout talents, Hope Hills works differently," Haruna said, closing her eyes briefly. "They have potential students send in audition tapes, to be reviewed by the Steering Committee."

"Audition tapes?" Reukra asked, confusion written on his face. "You mean like America's Got Talent or some shit?"

"Exactly! Of all the tapes, 100 potential candidates are chosen. Then for a week, they hold something called "The Grand Showcase" meant for those 100 participants to show their Talent to the nation, live on Television," the pinkette said. Her cheeks tinged red in embarrassment. "I'm loathe to admit it, but I made a fool of myself on national tv."

"Nah… really? How so?"

"Well, there's a panel of judges, made up from the Headmaster, the head of the committee and sometimes, even the President. I ended up spilling drinks on the Headmaster's lap. It was so awful!" She said, holding her hands to her face. "Somehow, I managed to pass and gain entree into the school!"

"It was probably due to your own merits! I'm sure you are an awesome hostess. You managed to make food for all of us after all," Reukra said, making the girl flush a darker shade of red. "You were able to charm them with your cuteness,"

"C-cuteness? I'm not that cute…" she said softly. The duplicator took a hold of her hand, making her look at him.

"Are you insane? You are totally cute, beautiful even! You most definitely charmed them with your cuteness and talent!" He said reassuringly.

"Thanks for saying that Reukra. It means a lot to me!" Haruna replied softly. "A-anyway. As I was saying, the 20 best talents will get admitted to the academy. I was part of Class 42 of HHPA. I am not sure if any of my classmates survived the Tragedy though."

"Oh… I am sorry to hear that Haru, truly I am." Reukra said. _"Dammit, I'm such an ass. I'm making her think about dark shit! Stupid! You're so damn stupid Reukra!" _

"So… what about you? We're getting to know each other so… got anything to share?" The hostess asked tentatively.

"Not really… aside from the fact that I grew up under a strict dad. The fucking asshole made me do a lot of shit. Basically treated me like I was a recruit in the army." He said, tensing up a bit. "My dad, he told me my mom passed away awhile back. She was my rock, the only one who believed in me. I love that woman, with all my heart. I wish I could spend more time with her,"

"She's not gone you know. She's right here with you," Haruna said, pointing to his heart. She gave him a smile. "I am 100% sure she is watching over you. And she's proud of what her son has become,"

"What I've become? A sissy who bottles up his emotions? Who creates copies of himself unknowingly and runs away from monsters like a pussy?"

"No. She's proud of the man you have become. You've survived some heavy shit, we all have. You came out stronger. You'll make it through this, I'm sure." She said, giving him a firm kiss on the cheek.

Reukra blushed brightly. Even though it was a single second, to him it felt like an eternity. "Hehehe, t-thank you H-Haru,"

"Of course. You've been very sweet to me since we met. Consider that my thanks," she said happily. She took a few strides forward, making to the lifts on C-Deck.

"You know, this whole place is very familiar to me, and I don't know why." Reukra said, glancing around briefly. His eyes moved to the staircase, which was in a brief word, beautiful. "Huh… that looks familiar too,"

"Uh… It should. This book here says "RMS Titanic," Haruna said, featuring to the guest book laid out in the counter. "We must be in the Neo World Program!"

"It's capable of doing this? Hmm… honestly if the NWP can do this, why not trap us in Sword Art Online?"

"Shush! Don't give Jibo any ideas!" The hostess exclaimed.

"S-sorry Haruna," Reukra said, sounding apologetic. The hostess sighed, shaking her head.

_"If this is the Titanic, then I'm sure everyone will meet somewhere soon. Maybe the Dining Saloon on D-Deck. I'm sure people could get there easily," _She thought briefly. Her eyes shifted towards Reukra, who was looking around in awe. "Hey Reukra, random question but… are you perhaps into older girls?"

"H-huh?"

* * *

**Location: The** **Grand Staircase (B-Deck)**

**Time: ?**

**Date: April, 1912**

"I cannot believe this is happening," Charlotte said softly, her eyes glowing in the lighting. She did a complete 360, taking in all of the sights. What she was seeing was indescribable.

The walls were covered in a beautiful English oak paneling, with an amber colored varnish. Everything was constructed in sweeping curves and the surrounding spaces were styled in a sleek, neoclassical William and Mary style. The balustrades displayed were made of distinctive wrought iron grilles with ormolu swags, styled after Louis XIV. The staircase itself was breathtaking, the banisters were bright and polished, at the foot of the stairs, on the middle balustrade, was a beautiful cherub, holding a crystalline torch, which served as a lamp. The back wall held a wooden clock, with intricately carved angels framing it.

The most recognizable feature lay above the staircase. The glass dome that was currently providing light to the entire staircase. It was made out of white glass, the wrought iron frame was painted a rich black color. The glass windows were also painted, bright golden lines interlaced with black, creating a beautiful pattern all throughout the dome. At its center was a large chandelier, made out of the finest crystals in the world.

"Charlie, do you know where we are?" Shiro asked, sweeping her ponytail off her shoulder. She had been confused since awakening, her eyes flitting all over the place. "I'm not sure why but this place is very familiar,"

"This is… the Grand Staircase of the Titanic. I've watched that movie so many times that I memorized what this place looks like," the siren said, looking down at the shorter girl. "We're not on Hora Island anymore,"

"Well duh! Haven't you looked at yourself? You no longer have scales on your shoulders or your wrists. And your hands aren't webbed anymore! You're a human person again!" the executioner said happily.

Charlotte looked at herself, eyes widening slightly when she saw her hands. She could actually see through her fingers, the webbing between them being missing. Her hands slowly felt around her body, noticing all of her scales were indeed gone. Even the gills at her sides were missing. The siren slowly turned around, spotting a mirror nearby. She walked toward it, glancing at her reflection. It was as Shiro had said, she looked completely human.

"This is… unreal," she said softly. Her hands traced the dress she was wearing, a strapless light pink gown covered in sequins. It showed off quite a lot of her cleavage, and was in fact threatening to pop the two buttons holding back her fleshy orbs.

"Whoever programmed this stupid place royally screwed up!" Shiro said, as she ran her hands over her body. She was wearing a more, Victorian era dress, almost Gothic in style. Her ponytail was black in color, rather than it's normal blue. She grabbed at her chest, squeezing her breasts. "Bountiful boobs! I actually have them!" she said happily.

"Uh… you seem to be enjoying yourself," the siren said, glancing at her friend. She quirked a brow, especially when she noticed Shiro had her hand under her skirt. "You uh… doing a survey? Making sure everything is in place?"

"Mhmm… I just wanted to make sure everything was A-okay! I gotta admit, this is a very realistic game, and my hoo-hah is in mint condition too!"

"Yeah well let's keep it that way. Kenzie, are you alright? You've stayed quiet this entire time," the older woman asked, grabbing the blonde painter's attention. She had been standing at the top of the stairs, staring directly at the clock.

"I… I'm sorry. It's just… I was never expecting to see something like this. The carving in this wood paneling is amazing," she said, tracing her fingers over the allegorical figures at either side. The clock read 5:25 PM. "Even the hands on this clock have been cut out so perfectly. I… I need to draw this!" she exclaimed rather loudly. A few passersby gave the young girl awkward looks, but said nothing as they walked past.

"Sweetheart, perhaps we should focus on something else entirely. Like the fact that we're on the Titanic," Charlotte said firmly. Shiro turned to face the siren, a look of confusion on her face.

"I'm sorry, did you just say what I think you said? How the hell can we be on that ship? We didn't travel back in time dummy!"

"We don't have to Shiro… remember what Syd and Surrashakuma were talking about? It's like Charlie said. We're in that Neo World Program thing, meaning we could be anywhere at any time," the Ultimate Painter said, turning to face her friends. She took a few steps down the stairs, stopping at the bronze cherub. She ran her finger tip down its side. "For all we know, we could be in 1912,"

"It makes no sense though… why of all places would Jibo choose the Titanic to send us? Wouldn't he want us to face our fears or something cheesy like that?"

"What's the point in making sense Shiro? He's working for despair after all," Charlotte said, furrowing her brows a bit. "I'm almost certain he brought us here for a reason. There might be something wrong with a few of us… mentally. And he's using this program to bring that out,"

"Are you sure it's something like that sis?" Mackenzie asked curiously. Charlotte shrugged her shoulders, not exactly knowing how to reply. She reached up to the bow on her head, tugging on it slightly. Thankfully it was still tightly in place.

"I can't say for certain, but they picked this place for one reason or another. The more pressing matter should be the golden tickets," she said.

"Right right! That idiot surgeon said there were twenty five of them hidden here. That means if we find one we can get out of this shithole!" the executioner said excitedly.

"Y-yeah but-" Mackenzie paused, allowing a few people to pass by her, heading up to A-Deck. "I don't think it's going to be that simple. Do you actually think they would hide that many tickets here without giving us a motive?"

"Hmm… you do have a point. Maybe the tickets are the motive… we'll find a golden ticket and most likely have to do something to get it," Charlotte said, bowing her head slightly. "It's never that easy is it? Goddamn it old man, you must really want us to suffer huh?"

"There's something else we're forgetting though," Shiro said, bringing the two girls' attention to herself. "Something happened to the Titanic right? I'm trying to remember it but I'm confuzzled beyond belief!"

"Now that you mention it, something does stick out to me. I just can't grasp it!" the painter said, pressing her fingertip against her temple. She closed her eyes tightly, humming to herself in thought. "The Titanic was famous, she was the largest ship in the world. Sister ship of the RMS Olympic, but she also lived in infamy,"

"Shit… this is probably their doing too. They probably suppressed our memories of real world events. They want us to go into this shit as blind as possible!" the siren exclaimed. She slammed her fist against one of the support columns in anger.

"Oh my god! Look at this!"

The three ladies looked to the top of the stairs, seeing a familiar pair of faces looking down at them. Charlotte let out a sigh of relief as she headed up the stairs. She stopped at the landing before the clock, smiling as Daisuke and Eris walked down. The storyteller gave her a tight hug.

"I'm so happy to see you!" she said softly. He chuckled, holding her at arm's length, his eyes taking her appearance in.

"It's so weird seeing you without the scales, y'know? I got so used to them. And look," he said, holding one of her hands up. "No webbing!" he said excitedly.

"Oh I know, they're not slimy anymore." she replied. She glanced at Eris who was entranced by her surroundings. "You know Eris, you're hair is really pretty,"

"Hmm? Oh… thank you Charlotte. It means a lot that you'd say that, especially after living the last couple days with snakes on my head," the gorgon said. Her gaze shifted down to Shiro, who was leaning against the balustrade, her hands squeezing her chest. "Is Shiro okay? She's just ...squeezing her tits,"

"She's just getting used to the bigger size. I guess that pervy old man gave her a bump," Mackenzie replied.

"Yeah that's not weird," Daisuke mumbled to himself. He walked down the stairs, standing before the girl. "Shiro, are you okay?"

"Dais!" she cried, a grin on her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck, practically glomping the boy. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding onto him tightly. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Ahem~ mind letting him go? We're in public!" Charlotte hissed, glaring at the girl. The gyaru slowly turned to face her, a mischievous look on her face. She pulled her eyelid down, blowing a raspberry in her direction. "Shiro!"

"Charlotte, it's fine. She's missed me so I don't mind the hug," the storyteller said. He pried the smaller girl off of himself, setting her down. "Try not to do that again okay?"

"Okay! It's just… I look so cute in this style and I got excited! I thought I was never gonna see ya again so I wanted to hug ya and never let ya go!"

Daisuke was about to reply, when a voice called out to them. The group looked towards the nearby corridor, seeing none other than Diego, who was dressed in a suit, similar to Daisuke's. He held his hand out, firmly shaking Daisuke's own.

"So glad to see you. It seems I didn't have to go far in order to find you guys,"

"Yes, me and Eris woke up on the Promenade Deck. I'm assuming the others are around here somewhere?" the storyteller asked. Diego nodded, glancing at the staircase behind them.

"They're searching the ship for the others. Most of us woke up in the First Class Dining Saloon. We've all agreed to meet up in the Palm Court on A-Deck. It's one of the most recognizable areas of the ship after all,"

"We should be careful. This may be the ship of dreams, but it could easily turn into the ship of nightmares. Let's convene upstairs for now, I'm sure the others will arrive soon," Eris said firmly.

"I'm gonna look around. My mom is somewhere on board and I wanna make sure she's fine. Not to mention, there are other hostages here. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to them," the storyteller said.

"Wait… where are you going to look?" the siren asked, taking a hold of his hand. She gave him a look of worry. "Do you have any leads?"

"Not really... save one. Diego, when you woke up in the Saloon, how was everyone dressed?" the man asked. Diego narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Well, we were all dressed for a gala. Like the rest of the First Class Passengers we've passed, actually," the man replied. "Are you onto something?"

"I am. Maybe… just maybe, there's a chance that we were split into classes. The participants of this killing game, were put in First Class because we are a high priority. That means, the hostages might be stuck in Third Class, since they're basically useless to the game. I'll start on E-Deck, that's where most of the steerage passengers were put," he said, walking towards the next flight of stairs. "I won't take long, I'll just look at all the common areas,"

"I'm coming with you, I don't want you to walk around alone," Charlotte said suddenly, stepping closer to the man. "I won't take no for an answer so don't even ask,"

"I wasn't going to, I'd love some company Charlie. Let's go then, I'd like to admire the Grand Staircase for a bit,"

"You know… if I didn't know any better, Charlotte has the hots for Daisuke," Eris said, placing a hand on her hip. "I don't blame her, Spanish boys are cute~"

"Hehehe… it's a shame. I've already claimed him as my own. I might get to second base with him while we're here too!" Shiro said, holding back her giggles. Mackenzie frowned at what her friend said, she didn't know why, but hearing her said that made her heart ache.

* * *

**Location: Turkish Baths (F-Deck)**

**Time: 5:30 PM**

**Date: April, 1912**

"Miss Miyaki, do you know where we are?" the quiet boy asked, a worried look on his face. Miyaki remained silent, not exactly knowing what to say to the boy. After a second, she turned to face him, giving him the brightest smile she could muster.

"I'm not sure where we are sweetie, but we're going to be fine! Just stick close to me okay?" she asked, earning a nod from the boy.

The blonde teenager took a glance around the room. For her, it was nothing more than blue. Well, it was the only color that she could describe it as. The walls and floor were covered in beautiful blue-green tiles, the ceiling being carved out of the finest teak in the world. The deep ceiling was painted a deep crimson color, with gilded beams. The room featured small hanging lanterns, encased in teak. The doors were adorned with semi-domes, giving it an exotic effect. All around the room were various teak folding chairs, Damascus tables and cushioned chaise lounges that looked quite comfortable. Miyaki noticed several curtained stalls nearby, most likely for changing purposes.

"Do you think the others are here?"

"I'm sure they are. We just gotta find them, maybe we should take a look around." the circus performer said happily.

She started leading the younger teen out of the room. To her, it was rather odd seeing the boy as a human. She guessed it was due to the Neo World Program. While she herself had no visible changes to her physique, Seisha was different. He looked like a human boy, most likely 14 years of age. He had fair colored skin, and short dark violet colored hair. He was wearing a snazzy suit as well as a top hat. He looked rather adorable to her.

Stepping out into the main hall, Miyaki noticed a few signs pointing to various places. There was a public pool nearby, as well as a Squash Court. She hadn't the foggiest idea what a Squash Court even was, and she wasn't curious enough to figure it out. All she wanted was to find a familiar face. Reaching the corridor, she noticed various passengers walking around, lost in conversation. A few stewards could be seen, carrying folded towels, trays and a wide array of assorted goods.

"Oh wow... there's a lot of people here," the girl said softly.

"Hello there miss, you seem a little lost," a man said, causing Miyaki to jump slightly. She looked him over, sighing when she realized he was a steward.

"I uh… I need to get upstairs. But I seem to have lost my way… I don't want my brother to get lost and our mother would get mad at us if we didn't get back," Miyaki said firmly, wrapping her hand around Seisha's wrist.

"Quite alright miss, if you'd follow me, I'll guide you to the stairs." he said happily, taking the lead. Miyaki smiled, following after the man.

"Miss Miyaki, is it okay to trust this guy?"

"I'm not sure, but we have to find the others. If they are here of course, we need all the help we can get." she whispered, making Seisha bob his head in agreement.

"I couldn't help but notice, you are from the First Class, correct miss?" The steward asked, causing Miyaki to raise a brow.

"Y-yes we are. We just wanted to check out the facilities offered here."

"That is quite understandable. The Titanic is the grandest ship in the world! You may as well take advantage of everything she offers!" He said happily. Miyaki stopped mid stride, her jaw dropping in shock.

"Excuse me, did you just say Titanic?"

"Yes, I did." he replied, knitting his brows. "Forgive me but, did you forget what vessel you were on? It is hard to confuse Titanic with her sister, The Olympic."

"It's okay Mister! Miyaki is a natural blonde so she can be a bit of an airhead sometimes!" Seisha said, causing the circus performer to glare at him. She pinched his cheek tightly, growling in anger.

"What did you just say?"

"I'm sorry sis! Please let go!"

"Ahahaha, you two have a wonderful bond. Far better than me and my siblings," the steward replied. He took the lead once more, taking them down another corridor. "We are almost to the staircase. Dinner shall be soon, so you may want to head to your staterooms to change,"

Miyaki looked at herself, she was wearing a rather slimming sky blue dress. It had thin straps, and hugged her curves nicely. It was almost floor length, she also wore matching heeled slippers on her feet. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back, rather than being in its usual ponytail.

"I thought I was already dressed for the occasion. I seriously gotta change?" She mumbled to herself. After a few minutes, the steward turned around, giving her a smile.

"Here we are, these stairs will lead right to the Grand Staircase. In case I don't see you again Miss, I do hope you have a safe voyage," he said. "Though, I do hope we run into each other. I wouldn't mind getting to know you,"

"Oh… I must apologise. I'm engaged… I'm not exactly looking for someone right now," the blonde said. The man deflated a bit.

"I see… that's a real shame. I do wish you and your fiance a wonderful life. Have a good evening miss." He said, taking his leave. Seisha watched him go, a frown on his face.

"Why did you say that Miss Miyaki? You hurt his feelings!"

"Seisha sweetie, this isn't real. This is all a product of that Neo World Program thing that Daisuke mentioned to us. We are in a game, that man is just an NPC." The blonde explained, placing a hand on his cheek. "Whatever happens here, it isn't real. I mean look around… we are on the Titanic, a ship from 1912."

"You are right. This is all a game… a very realistic game." He said softly to himself. He looked up at Miyaki, taking a hold of her hand. "Can we find the others? I'm starting to get a bit worried,"

"Sure. I'm certain we will find the others soon. This may be the biggest ship in the world, but no one can hide forever! Let's go, the faster we find them, the better!" Miyaki said cheerfully, earning a smile from the boy.

"M-Miyaki, is that you?" a dainty voice called out. The blonde haired girl turned around, looking around for a moment, locking eyes with another girl who was standing near the stairwell.

This girl was rather short, in fact she looked rather sickly. She had pale skin and looked a bit underweight. She had long raven black hair that reached down to her hips, and was a bit frayed at the ends. She was wearing a white blouse, tucked into a skirt and sneakers. She was dressed differently from herself and Seisha, she looked underdressed in fact.

"Do we know you?" Seisha asked, looking the girl over. He noticed her eyes were a bit sunken in, and she barely had meaton her bones. The girl nodded, shifting her gaze away.

"It's me you guys...Nyx?"

Miyaki let out a gasp, clapping a hand over her mouth. She closed the distance between them, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Nyx… why do you look like this?"

"T-this is what I really look like… I'm not a real alien. In fact, I was once human like you. Nyx Flurry Layla, the halfling, was just a lie," she said softly. "This is the real me… I was born with AIDS. This is what I looked like, before Jibo Momota saved my life,"

"Oh… Miss Nyx, I'm so sorry!" Seisha said, hugging her tightly. "I didn't know you were so sick in real life!"

"It's okay… we can focus on this later. We need to find the others. I'll explain everything to them when we are all together." Nyx said, smiling at the two. "Besides, the faster were back together, the faster we can explore the ship. It's so beautiful! Wait until you see the Grand Staircase, it's absolutely breathtaking!"

* * *

**Location: Third Class Promenade (Poop Deck)**

**Time: 5:45 PM**

**Date: April, 1912**

"No fucking way! We're human again!" Dylan cried, as he opened and closed his hands. "I thought we were all screwed!"

"Don't get too excited Dylan, you don't even know why we are here." Tsumugi said, pushing her glasses up her nose. She looked around for a moment, noting the large cranes nearby. "This is kind of obvious, but we are likely on a cruise ship,"

"It's the Titanic. I don't even have to take a guess either," Nico said, she pointed ahead, taking note of the four large funnels in the distance. "It's rather obvious, especially with those,"

"I'm not that versed in ships but, I think we're on the Poop Deck." Sayaka added, glancing at a nearby railing. She noticed a gate with a sign nearby. It read 'Third Class Passengers are forbidden beyond this point.' She frowned, glancing at her friends. "I'm willing to bet the others are somewhere in First Class,"

"Um… why are we here though? I was tending to the garden when this two-toned bear came at me. I was confident she wouldn't do anything, but then she sucked me into a vacuum cleaner,"

"I'm impressed you actually know what a vacuum cleaner is Mallory. Considering you are a useless narcoleptic who can't stay up long enough to save her own life," Dylan said, holding back a chuckle.

"You know, it isn't nice to say that kind of thing. It's no wonder Yukiko decides to end your life. You were probably too overbearing for her liking," Evan said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't particularly like the fact that we are stuck here. Perhaps you could cut the act and help us get out?"

"Pfft...what would be the point? We are all dead, yet somehow we were brought to this place. I like it here! I got my human body back, it's almost as if I came back go life!" The Ultimate Sociopath said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Praise be Atua! We should all work together to get back to Hora Island. All of us have done a great many things in life. But we can still redeem ourselves. Even in death, Atua's light shines over us!" Angie said happily, clapping her arms. Rei sighed, tugging on her ponytail.

"Atua isn't real. If he was then we still wouldn't be suffering. All of us are dead yet here we are, clinging to some odd semblance of normalcy. A few of us here are killers, we have no say in what happens. We deserve being in limbo, "

"Sheesh Rei, I didn't think death made you such an emo," Giselly replied, leaning back against the railing. The former hacker felt naked without her computer, even now, she was still getting used to being dead. "And this is coming from someone who was blasted into a comet,"

"Maybe we should look around? If the others are here, we should work together to get out. Maybe even help them get out!" Hikaru said happily.

**"Ah ah ah! Hold your horses!" **a familiar voice said. Almost instantly, Surrashakuma appeared before the group. She gave them a grin, twirling her came. **"Now now, don't be too surprised. I came here to give you all a special motive." **

"A special motive? What the fuck could 11 ghosts do? We're fucking dead." Rei snapped in annoyance. "Why don't you just fuck off to where you came from? I'm tired of you murder bears and your bullshit,"

"I agree with Rei. I could care less what this motive is. There's nothing you can offer us anyway," Sayaka said, earning a laugh from the bear.

**"Ohohohoho! Sweetheart you wound me! As if I didn't have something worthwhile prepared for you stiffies! In fact, it's rather uplifting to say the least," **she said. She tapped the deck with her came. **"Though I suppose if you like being ghosts, you can all stay like that, no skin off my ass."**

"Out with it bear, tell us what you want to tell us then get lost. I may not be alive anymore but I don't have to waste my undead time on you!" Giselly said. Surrashakuma grinned walking towards the Hacker.

**"Hmm… well I guess this won't apply to you. But if the rest of you are interested, then please hear me out. 23 subjects have been placed on this ship, along with 7 hostages. What you have to do is simple!" **The bear said, gesturing around with her came. **"You have to select a person, and kill their avatar! You see, if they die in the game, their heads are turned into Kid Cuisine!"**

"Why the hell would we do that? Not that it doesn't sound fun, but how do we benefit from it?" Dylan asked.

"My guess, if we kill someone and get away with it, we get something out of it. Something that only Jibo Momota can offer us," Nico said.

"But what could he offer us? We're dead after all," Mallory said softly.

**"Yes, but death isn't permanent anymore. In fact, Miyaki Hanao was able to come back. Using pieces of you idiots to boot. So you all coming back is possible," **Surrashakuma said. She came to a stop before the group, placing her came down. **"Here is your motive. Kill someone and get away with it, and you'll get a body. Your souls will be downloaded into said body and you'll be alive again!"**

Everyone remained silent, not exactly knowing how to react. Angie was the first to stand up, glaring at the bear. "How could you offer something so disgusting to us. We are dead, it was the will of Atua. You cannot choose who lives and who dies because you think you are a god!"

"Angie is right. I'm sorry, but I refuse to accept this motive. It is vile and disgusting. Of course, this is something only Junko could come up with." Tsumugi said firmly. "Trading the life of an innocent for a chance to return to the world is not worth it."

"Same here, I fucked up once, by helping Hiyoko behind the scenes. I am not making that mistake again. Take your motive and blow it out your ass!" Giselly said, flipping the bear off. Surrashakuma sighed, shaking her head.

**"Here I thought you would be willing to participate in this motive. I guess those 25 Golden Tickets are a waste too," **she said, turning away from them.

"Golden Tickets? What are those?" Mallory asked curiously.

**"Funny you should ask Ginger! Ya see, And programmed 25 tickets into this world of ours. Those that find one, get to leave the island. However, if one of you find one… then you could get something else. So there you have it, kill someone in the next 4 days or find a ticket, and you'll get your greatest wish granted! To return to the living from the other side!"**

"If a golden ticket grants us the same perks as killing someone, then What a the point of giving us that option?" Rei asked curiously. This made Surrashakuma grin.

**"Well sweetie, sometimes we gotta get an adrenaline rush. Killing a man is the best feeling in the world! Golden Tickets can be used for quite a lot, so get hunting, or jab someone in the heart, I don't care! I've got shit to do, so happy hunting!"**

The bear took it's leave, disappearing from the Poop Deck. Sayaka swallowed hard, glancing at the others. She could tell the gears were already working away, most likely making plans for something. She felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to turn around.

"Sayaka, we need to talk. This motive is rather serious,"

"I know. I'm not sure what we should do… I trust the others not to jump the gun but… the prospect of coming back to life is too tempting." The former idol said, glancing briefly at the others. "I can tell these tickets aren't going to be easy to get."

"I'm going to speak with Nico. Her talent with guessing may help us calculate where these tickets are located. We can avoid those areas once they're located," Tsumugi said, earning a nod from Sayaka. "You on the other hand, should go find Daisuke and let him know about this. They need to be aware of this motive,"

"Okay… I'll go find them. You keep an eye on everyone here. Let's meet in the Second Class Lounge, I'll let you know how things are going." Sayaka said walking toward the nearby gate. "Be careful Tsu,"

"You too Saya," The former Cosplayer said, forcing a smile onto her face.

From nearby, the Ultimate Sociopath smiled. Already, a plan had worked its way into his mind. He may be dead, but that didn't mean he couldn't raise a bit of despair here and there. Especially with the prospect of coming back to life. He held back a chuckle, looking out into the ocean.

_"This is great! Once I find s ticket, I can kiss this ghost bullshit goodbye! Soon Yukiko, I'll be back to life, and I'll kill you. Just like I should have in the Lunar Colony. Besides, you owe me one for that knife." _He thought, sneering with glee.

_**xxx(End of Act 5)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 23**

**Ghost Peeps: 11**

**Hostages: 7**

**A/N: Well, this chapter was a curve ball wasn't it? You probably weren't expecting me to bring you this. But I am a person who loves keeping ya ok your toes!**

**This… this is something that I have always wanted to do and the Neo World Program is the catalyst that I needed for me to make it happen. The time has come, it's time for us all to Go back to Titanic.**

**I am certain someone is gonna complain about this but bear with me here folks. This motive is going to start kicking in soon. It's going to become harder for them to see what is real and what is a delusion. I'm sure you'll enjoy what I'll bring you this time around. I've got quite a lot planned for this! So I hope you are all ready for this, because I for one am very excited for these final Acts of Chapter 2. **

**I know I've already made this chapter uncessarily long, still getting used to docs and the fact that the format is different lol. But I would like to take a moment to say something. As you all probably know, the YouTuber Etika was confirmed dead yesterday. This was something that I honestly was hoping wouldn't happen. I've been a follower of his for a long time, and hearing about this broke my heart. I don't have any words really... I just wanted to say, if you ever feel like you aren't worth it or are thinking about suicide, please seek help. Suicide is never the answer, there are a lot of things that make life worth living! There are people that love you and care about you, don't for a second think that you are alone. I hope you've found peace where ever you are Etika, you'll definitely be missed my dude...**

**I hope you all liked this chapter. It's all downhill from here especially once the motive starts kicking in!**


	21. C2 Act 6: The Ship of Dreams

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 6

The Ship of Dreams

_**xxx**_

**Location: Third Class Dining Saloon **

**Time: 6:00 PM**

**Date: April, 1912**

"I cannot believe this shit. First, we get kidnapped and shoved into a van against our will, and then we're shoved into… this?" a man said, looking around the table. He had short blonde hair, and side swept bangs. He was wearing a rather worn shirt, with dark brown slacks and shoes. Black suspenders could be seen on his shoulders. "We need to get out of here and fight back! That old man...Momota. He has no right to do this to us! He needs to pay for what he's done to our kids!"

"Mr. Hanao, perhaps you should stay calm. Flipping out isn't going to solve anything. All of us were brought before that sick man. No doubt we're being used against our children," Maria said, leaning back against her seat. "We should think about our children, rather than wasting time accepting what is going on here,"

"Miss Del Rio is right. The last thing I want is to potentially hurt our loved ones," a younger voice said.

This came from a younger woman, being around 14 years of age. She had soft pink hair, tied into twin tails. She had fair colored skin and brilliant blue eyes. She was wearing a long sleeved blouse, which she had rolled up to the elbow. She was wearing a pair of parachute styled pants, with worn looking shoes. Maria gave her a small smile, placing a hand over hers.

"Everything will be fine Vanessa, I'm sure your sister will be just fine."

"That man said Shiro was here, do you think he's safe? I would hate for something bad to happen to him," a soft voice said. It came from a rather sickly looking girl, who had a worried look on her face.

"Sad to say sweetie, but he might already be gone. These killing games have wretched a lot from us. He might not be right in the head,"

"Mr. Hanao… Shidou, I wouldn't talk to her like that. Miyuki needs the comfort and love from her brother to make it through this, especially in her condition. Let's try to keep a cheery atmosphere, okay?"

Shidou sighed, giving the girl an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I'm still getting used to all of this. I once thought my daughter was dead, and just when I was getting ready to bury her remains, they were stolen from the Future Foundation," he said, closing his eyes. "I wanna see my little girl again, but I'm worried she'll be different. We don't know what that bastard's has done to her,"

"Jibo never showed any outward inclination to run a killing game here," a man said, leaning back in his seat. "The SCP Foundation saw him as an asset at times, his attention to detail was astounding."

"Yes, however as the Tragedy kicked off, he began showing his true colors. The Foundation took as many SPCs as they could. We were captured before we could get off the island," another man replied.

"Weiss, Gehrig… is there anything on the island that we can use? Anything at all? I'm certain this motive will end soon. Once we get out of here, we can help the kids get out safe," Maria said. The two former SCP Agents shook their heads.

"Apologies, Miss Del Rio. We've been stuck in the Neo World Program for awhile ourselves. It seems as if Jibo planned ahead. We don't even know if Ibb is alive. Though if he brought us here, that likely means that she is," Weiss replied, a frown on his face.

"I'm starting to get worried. I've been reading this menu, and it has the date as well as the ship we are on," the final person of their group said, gesturing to the menu.

She was a beautiful you woman, with long orange and yellow colored hair. She was middle aged, despite that she didn't look a day over 24. Like the others, she seemed to be wearing worn down clothing, a cotton white blouse that had seen better days, along with a floor length skirt and boots. She pointed to the top of the menu.

"April 11th, 1912," Maria said softly. Shidou however focused on something else. He took a hold of the menu, his hand shaking a bit.

"RMS Titanic. Jesus Christ, we've gone back in time," he said, disbelief on his face.

"No… the program is doing this. In fact, it's likely all of us are in a building somewhere. Our bodies are safely inside a pod. However, we don't exactly know what may happen to us." Weiss said, leaning back in his seat. "We should tread carefully,"

"Didn't something bad happen to this ship?" Miyuki asked, knitting her brows together. "I can't remember what but it's something bad,"

"I can't remember either," Maria mumbled, a look of annoyance on her face. She sighed audibly. "Mierda… I'm not good with stories, but I know something like this would be important. It's that man's doing… bastardo," she said, not wanting to remember Jibo's face.

"I think my sister knows! She watched that move on end when we were in the bunker. I mean shit, dad had to leave just to drive to Anchorage for a new copy." Vanessa said with a giggle.

"How many times did she watch it?" Miyuki asked curiously. Vanessa hummed to herself, counting on her fingers.

"6...maybe 7?"

"6 or 7 what?" Aikeno asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Oh! I remember now! She watched it 729 times! She watched it so many times she memorized the entire script!"

"Wow… 729 times? She sounds just like my son. Daisuke watched it on VHS until the film snapped. Thank God, DVDs are a thing," Maria said softly.

"I don't think I've ever watched that movie. Me and my wife traveled far too much. Burnett's Circus went all around the world. Little Miyaki was always practicing her routines. Whenever we watched movies, it was whatever animated movie was in theaters," Shidou said. He had a far off look on his face. "Heh… I remember her first date, she was worrying so much, even though the boy was her best friend."

"First date jitters Huh? Can't say I've had any. Most of my life, I've been confined to a bed. I'm getting better, but my condition makes it so I can't see many people," Miyuki said sadly.

"Sorry to hear that kiddo. You'll get better soon, I'm sure of it." Weiss said. He turned his attention to Gehrig who was looking at the menu. "I remember this one, asking out a girl when we went to the movies. She worked the Ticket Counter and was dressed as Captain Marvel."

"Mr. Gehrig, you dated Captain Marvel?" Vanessa asked excitedly. Gehrig sighed, shaking his head.

"No. She had a boyfriend, the bartender who was dressed as Captain America." He said, bowing his head, slamming his fists against the table. "Why did you break my heart Ticket Girl? Why?!"

"Jesus Harold Christ, let it go Gehrig. She's just some girl who works at AMC. You aren't missing much," Weiss said, patting his shoulder.

"You know… I feel bad for him. Poor guy just wants to have a special person in his life." Vanessa said, a smile on her face. "I yearn for the same. I may be young, but I have dreams of being swept off my feet by a cute princess!"

"Don't you mean prince?" Maria asked curiously. Vanessa shrugged.

"Sure, I swing both ways."

"Youngsters these days… they say whatever comes to mind with reckless abandon." Shidou said with a shake of his head.

The group lost themselves in conversation, as people slowly started coming into the Saloon. Among them was a tired Daisuke Del Rio, along with his friend Charlotte. The two looked a bit tired and stressed. The man looked at the pinkette, a poignant look on his face.

"Ugh… fucking finally! I wasn't expecting to get stuck in that lift for so damn long. Why the hell didn't we take the stairs?"

"Because I didn't want to fall and break my neck?" Charlotte asked, gesturing to her feet. "Look at these… I'm surprised they can hold my fat ass without breaking."

"Charlotte, you aren't fat. In fact you look very beautiful in that dress," he said. The pinkette flushed brightly, giving him a smile.

"T-thank you Dais. It means a lot that you would say that." She replied. She looked away, shyly twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. "Y-you are the first boy to say that,"

"Well it's true… even as a siren, you look amazing." He added, clearing his throat. "Charlotte, I wanna thank you. For what you did at the lake I mean."

"T-the lake?" She stuttered tugging her dress down. "Right, the lake! It was no problem! None at all!" She said, rubbing her neck in embarrassment.

"You saved my life Charlotte. I honestly thought I was gonna die. It's been forever since I've felt genuine fear. Drowning isn't fun… I still remember those vivid memories as a kid. The feeling of helplessness, the struggle to breathe, the feeling of imminent death… it is awful. So seriously, thanks,"

"I uh… well, I'm not sure if you knew but… a siren's kiss allows people to breathe underwater. I remembered it last minute and had to try it." She said, lowering her gaze to the floor. "I didn't want anyone else to die."

"It… it has been a long three years since all of this shit has begun. From the start of the Tragedy to now. With what happened at Hope's Peak and what happened between me and Hiyoko. It's taken me awhile to learn how to trust people," Daisuke said, giving her a smile. He took a hold of her hand, squeezing it lightly. "You've managed to earn my trust tenfold!"

"I… wow, one kiss is all it took? It was a kiss of life! And not even a good one! Aside from my stuffed panda, I've never kissed anyone!" The siren said shyly.

"Pfft… that's cute. My first kiss was…" Daisuke paused, glancing at the far wall. He squeezed Charlotte's hand, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Nevermind, let's just look around," he mumbled. Charlotte said nothing, leading the storyteller into the Saloon.

They didn't get far, the moment he stepped into the Saloon, was the moment he heard her voice. "Daisuke! Mi bebé! Amor de mi vida!"

"Mama!" He cried out, catching the woman in a hug. He hugged her tightly, in an almost none crushing grasp. "It's been so long…"

"I know honey, I know. I'm so happy to see you, oh… if Erika were here, she'd be crying," Maria said. Daisuke frowned, taking a hold of her hands.

"Where is She? I tried looking for her after I left Spain but… I couldn't find her. Anna is fine by the way, she's in a convent in Paris at the moment." The man said. "Erika isn't dead is she?"

"Dios mio! Don't even say that!" Maria said firmly. "Erika is doing fine. The last time I heard from her, she was helping people out of the destroyed areas of Tokyo. She and Snowflake trained an entire army of rescue dogs,"

"That is so her. She and Snow are inseparable. I'm happy to hear she's alive and well…" he said. Maria nodded, placing a hand on his cheek, wiping away his tears.

"She loves you, you know. She'll be fine…" she said. "Sweetie… I'm sorry, about Hiyoko. I wasn't expecting her to fall into despair. She was like my daughter, you know."

"I don't wanna talk about her… I've since moved on from her. In fact, I… may have found someone else," he said, scratching his neck. Before she could ask, Charlotte came up to then, holding someone's hand.

"Dais, Dais! My sister is here! This is Nessa, she's the love of my life and my best friend!" The siren said, pinching the girl's cheek.

"Stahp it, big sis! It hurts!" Vanessa cried out. Daisuke chuckled.

"It's nice to meet you, Nessa. Your sister is a badass, I'm glad to have her in my life,"

"Oh… he's cute… I am so jealous of you sis!" The girl said firmly, earning a confused look from the two.

"Daisuke, I'm not sure if you remember me but… I'm Shidou Hanao, Miyaki's father? Is she here? Is she okay?"

"I haven't seen her yet, but I am certain she's here. We're meeting up in the Palm Court on A-Deck to further discuss things. Come on, she may have found one of the others,"

"Mr. Daisuke, do you know Shiro? I'm his older sister Miyuki." The sickly looking girl said. Daisuke looked at her, giving her a nod.

"I know your little sister! She never mentioned you though. I'm sure she's gonna be ecstatic when she sees you!" He said. Miyaki gave him an odd look.

"Sister? Oh… she hasn't told you yet, has she...oh well, who am I to spoil a secret. Could you help me? Even if this is a game, it seems that evil Doctor made me frail here as well," the girl said.

"Sure, I'd be honored to help," the storyteller happily said.

* * *

**Location: Forward Well-Deck (Third Class Promenade-C-Deck)**

**Time: 6:15 PM **

**Date: April, 1912**

"I'm sorry for dragging you all this way Miyaki, I just wanted to speak with you," the Pele said, clasping her hands tightly. Miyaki said nothing, quirking a brow as she gave the young woman a once over.

"Well, what exactly do you wish to speak about? I only agreed because you insisted on it, but we have more pressing matters to attend to," the circus performer said. She was almost never this serious, but with the current motive, she had a reason to be wary. Bethany bristled a bit, taking a deep breath.

"Look… I wanted to apologize to you. I overreacted when I found out you were brought back to life," she said firmly. The islander glanced over her shoulder, toward the ocean. "I come from an island where we take death very seriously. When someone dies, we hold a feast in their honor. We give their last rites, and bury them, with a shrine made up of their most personal possessions," she said.

"Is that why you wanted that earring? Isabella's earring I mean?" the blonde asked curiously. Bethany nodded, a frown on her face. "I can tell your intentions are pure, but remember… not everyone agrees with your religious beliefs."

"I am aware. It is a heavy burden that has been thrust onto me, you see." Bethany said, giving her attention back to the girl. "My older sister Angie was viewed as the Oracle of Atua. She was selected by Atua himself, to spread his teachings all around the world. In fact, her depictions of him in art, is what led her to be discovered by Hope's Peak Academy,"

"Hmm… I take it once she left your island, things became a lot different?"

"Things mostly stayed the same, but what little change there was, was amazing!" the girl said happily. "My parents were very happy that their daughter was selected by Atua himself. She had the makings of a Chieftain. The few times I got to see her during her vacations from HPA were wonderful. She taught me a lot about the outside world, and about the people Atua's light had touched," she said happily. Her smile shifted, causing her mood to change drastically. "That was until the Tragedy struck,"

"The Tragedy destroyed millions of lives. I thought your island was mostly untouched by it all… it wasn't was it?"

"No Miyaki… it wasn't. It is true that Kuikawa Island was mostly left untouched, but we weren't spared from despair. Some of our own did many atrocities in the name of Despair. Some killed their children, others their families. Even those we tied up managed to starve themselves to death," Bethany said, closing her eyes. "Those were trying times on Kuikawa. But we never gave up… we had hope that Angie would come back, and bring back some of her love and Atua's light as well,"

Miyaki wrapped her arm around Bethany's waist, pulling her closely into a side hug. The girl shook a bit, as the older girl held her. She broke into tears, wrapping her other arm around Miyaki's neck, burying her face into the crook of her neck. Though it was a bit awkward, Miyaki was at least glad she could bring the girl a bit of comfort.

"I watched my sister stray from the light of Atua. Gundham kept calling her a heretic, and she kept trying her best. But in the end, thanks to Monokuma, she committed the greatest sin in the world. She killed 3 people, and she paid for it with her life. I was heartbroken. How could my sister do something so heinous and vile?"

"Sometimes, people don't have any options Beth. They do things for the sake of themselves, maybe their loved ones. I'm sure Angie didn't do it because she wanted too...maybe she did it because she reached the last straw… because she wanted to get out," Miyaki said firmly.

"Actually… it wasn't that at all," a voice said, causing Bethany to jump. She slowly turned around, jaw dropping when she saw her older sister standing before her. Angie gave her a smile, and a gentle wave. "It's been quite awhile, hasn't it Bethy?"

"S-sis." she said softly. The girl shortened the distance, practically tackling the girl into a hug. "Angelina I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too Bethany… you know you are the only one who ever called me by my full name," Angie said, hugging her sister tightly. "I sorely miss it, and you."

"I take it you are one of the ghosts brought here by Surrashakuma?" the blonde circus performer asked. Angie nodded, releasing her hold on her little sister.

"After my death, I appeared on Hora Island, alongside Tsumugi. It wasn't long before we were joined by Rei, Hikaru, and eventually Sayaka. Soon enough, the others joined us and we became a family of sorts. Except for Dylan… he has strayed too far from Atua's light." the former Artist said, a frown appearing on her face. "Then again, I'm not one to talk, considering the things I did when I was alive,"

"No Angie! You can't blame yourself for that! You did it because you had no choice right? Because you wanted to leave those sinners behind right?"

"I didn't have a reason really. I've honestly forgotten why I did the things I did… but I will never forget the guilt I felt at their deaths. I can feel it… those burns from the hot wax. They were awful… with every single drop, I cried in pain. I felt my muscles burning, and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think… at least about nothing else but the pain," Angie said, holding back her tears. "It felt like a thousand knives digging into your skin. It was relentless… it was what I deserved, the punishment that Atua deemed worthy for what I had done,"

"No it wasn't!" Bethany cried angrily. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she did nothing to stop them. "You did it, because it was the only way those three could see Atua. You did it so that they would be free, even if it cost you your life." the Ultimate Pele said, looking at the floor. "It was the only thing you had left to do,"

"You are wrong Bethany. No matter what reason you come up with in your head, you are wrong. I sinned and in the light of Atua, I was deemed a traitor. Look at how easily he cast me away, his light didn't protect me," she snapped, taking a deep breath. "Even in death, I've struggled to hold onto my faith. I've been watching over you Bethany… and I know what's happened, you are the New Oracle. I was hoping you and I would cross paths,"

"I hate to intrude but… maybe you should just put this all behind you for now?" Miyaki asked, earning glares from the pair. "Think about it this way… you've got who knows how long together? You aren't guaranteed a tomorrow when you are in a killing game. The fact that you two are here, living… breathing? Being able to hug and feel each other, is a blessing. Maybe from God, maybe from Atua, hell maybe even from the Spaghetti monster,"

"Okay, the Spaghetti monster is just a baseless fabrication with no true belief system. How does one pray to a pile of noodles on a plate? Like seriously… what the fuck is going in up in those idiots' brain? Is it full of ground beef or something?" Bethany snapped. Miyaki sighed, pinching her eyes.

"That is not the point of what I am getting at here. What I want to say is, screw everything that happened in the real world. You are here, right now. On this beautiful ship, with each other. Have some fun! Enjoy the moment while it lasts, I certainly would!"

"She's right… we should spend more time together, dear sister. I've yearned to even hold you as closely as I am right now. This ship will be our home for the next few days… it would be for the best that we make the most of it," Angie said, earning a nod from her sister.

"Come on then, it won't be long before dinner, and I'm a First Class Passenger. Perhaps I could invite you as a plus one. We could have seafood scampi like we used to as little girls!" Bethany said excitedly. Angie nodded, shifting her gaze over to Miyaki.

"We haven't spoken much dear, but thanks for speaking with my sister. I'm certain this talk helped her calm down a bit."

"Sure thing Angie, it's the least I can do. I've lost someone dear to me in the past, so I know what it's like to feel useless," she said, giving the pair a smile.

"Well, I'm not sure who it was that you lost, but there's someone aboard this ship that's been wanting to see you again. I'm not sure where she is, but it's likely that she'll find you, before you find her." the Artist said. "She's got a lot of things to talk to you about, so I hope you two get the chance to speak,"

"Oh...it's her isn't it?" Miyaki asked softly, her throat becoming tight. "Gis is here… she came with you right?" she asked, earning a nod from Angie. "Thank you for telling me, I'll go find her."

The sisters watched the blonde girl walking off, in a hurried pace, smiles on their faces. They shared a look, hugging each other tightly. Even if this was a simulation or some sort of game, they were glad to at least be able to hug each other again. No matter how brief their time on the Titanic would be, they would be glad to cherish it.

* * *

**Location: Boat Deck**

**Time: 6:20 PM**

**Date: April 11th, 1912**

"I'm sorry to pull you away like that Haruna. I'm sure you and Reukra would have loved to spend more time with each other," Mackenzie said, tugging on her grown as she walked. She glanced at one of the large lifeboats, attached to the hanging davits. Only two of those boats had been swung out, white sheets had been covering them.

"Why do you say that?" Haruna asked curiously. Mackenzie shrugged, gazing up at the older girl.

"You two have gotten really close. I mean, you came into the Palm Court hand in hand after all," the painter said. Haruna's face heated up, and she instantly looked away.

"That means nothing. Reukra was nervous and with this ship being so big, I didn't want him to get lost! That's all, nothing more nothing less," the hostess said. Mackenzie quirked a brow, her lip twitching slightly.

"Haruna, before I was a painter, I was a romance novelist. I've written sappy love stories before, all of them very mediocre, but sappy none-the-less. You are showing the signs of puppy love, and it's a lot more obvious on you than it is on him," she said firmly. She sighed, turning away from her, glancing at the windows of the Gymnasium. "I'm a little jealous, honestly."

"J-jealous? Why are you jealous sweetie?"

"Because… you and Reukra look so cute together! I'm jealous of what you have, or what you will have with him. I-" Mackenzie paused, licking her lips. Her cheeks became pink as she looked back to the hostess. "I have a crush on someone, and I need help. You are older, wiser, and have bigger boobs! Please… tell me what to do, I want to get his attention!"

"Huh?" Haruna mumbled, a look of disbelief on her face. Mackenzie had grabbed a hold of Haruna's dress, a pleading look on her face.

"Please big sis… can you tell me how to swoon the man that has taken my heart captive?"

"I… I am very confused. You like someone and you want _my _advice? Sweetheart, I don't think I am the most qualified person to give love advice," Haruna said, rubbing her neck in embarrassment.

"But you are the only one who's even close to dating! I mean look at how Reukra looks at you, he's hung on your every word, even if you don't notice it. You two were made for each other!" the girl said, small hearts in her eyes. "It's almost as if destiny put you in each other's paths, and now you are on the ship of dreams! You guys can fall in love, and once we make port in New York, we'll start our new lives in America!" she said.

Haruna furrowed her brows in confusion. What was Mackenzie talking about? It was almost as if she thought she was on the real Titanic. It made Haruna quite worried, especially with how she was acting. She shook her head, deciding to focus on the matter at hand.

"Mackenzie, all you have to do is be honest with yourself. Admittedly, I am not exactly sure about Reukra and I being together. I'm 19 years old and he's barely 16. I know the state of the world is different, but some part of me is questioning things," she said, frowning. "Of course, that's if I were to date him, _if_,"

"Let's be honest Haru! You are going to date him… I mean I heard him talking to Diego before I pulled you away. He said you asked him if he was into older girls… that means you have been thinking about it!" the painter said. She sighed, leaning back against the wall near the Gymnasium, peering out at the sea between the lifeboats. "It was love at first sight wasn't it? Because I'm having the same issue,"

"I wouldn't say it was love… I mean… I was just concerned about him, that's all. He tried to calm me down during our first night at the Foundation Headquarters. I noticed he was a rather anxious person. He hides it well, but his duplicates often times reflect how he's truly feeling," Haruna said, with a sigh. "He's had a rough life… from what I gather, his father was in the military. He also mentioned his mother was deceased, so there may have been some home abuse there,"

"Oh… poor thing. I-I can't say I know what that feels like...I had a very wonderful home life. My parents were always encouraging me to do my best. Even though my writing wasn't particularly the greatest, my mom and dad always told me they loved it. In fact, they encouraged me to reach out to the AUP after I got rejected by Hope's Peak Academy." she said. "Hey wait… I've derailed the conversation… so Haru, any advice on how I can tell the guy I like that I like him?"

"Sweetheart, just be yourself. Men love confidence, so if you believe in your heart, and tell him how you feel, then you'll have all you need. I'm certain this boy feels the same, you are very cute you know," Haruna said, holding back a giggle. "Incidentally, who is that you are pining after?"

"Excuse me ladies, would you like a cup of tea or bouillon? We are getting ready for dinner service soon and I figured you'd like some refreshments," a steward asked, holding a platter to the two. Haruna nodded, taking a cup of tea, while Mackenzie refused. Haruna continued on, stirring sugar into her tea.

"Anyway, to answer your question Haruna, the guy that I have a crush on is Daisuke,"

Haruna coughed into her cup, having taken a sip at the wrong time. The steward started patting her back, as she dropped the cup onto the deck. He handed her a napkin, which she used to wipe her mouth. "Excuse me… did you just say Daisuke?"

"Mhmm… he's so awesome. His voice is alluring, his stories are amazing, and he's so handsome too!" the girl said, her cheeks tinging read as she continued speaking. "He saved my life, and even carried me when I was bleeding. I know he sees me as a little sister, but I want him to see me as something more,"

"I-I am lost for words," she said softly, handing the steward the used napkins. "Are you seriously crushing on Daisuke of all people?" she asked, earning a nod from Mackenzie.

"It's weird, I know. But he's treated me so kindly, and way better than the boys I know back home." she said, her gaze moving back towards the ocean. "I know there are other girls that like him, Charlotte, Miyaki and even Shiro. But I want to have my shot too! I… I want my first kiss to be with him,"

"That's honestly very sweet Mackenzie. I'm not exactly sure he might like you back though, I don't want you to get heartbroken. Daisuke seems to be more attracted to Charlotte, they've been talking a lot since what happened at the lake." the hostess said. "Perhaps it isn't meant to be,"

"It doesn't matter… I will tell him that I like him. This is the ship of dreams, and my dream will come true! I just know it. Then, we can go to America and get married and have lots of kids! I can make you the godmother, what do you say?"

"I… I suppose that would be fine,"

"Aw… thank you Haruna! You are awesome you know that?" Mackenzie said, hugging the girl tightly. The hostess frowned as she hugged the girl back.

"_What is going on here? Mackenzie has never been like this. Then again, I haven't gotten to know her until now. It strikes me as odd that she's behaving like this now," _she thought, narrowing her eyes. "_Could it be an effect from this game? Could she be starting to grow delusional?"_

"So… how should I go about it, the confession I mean? It has to be perfect!" the painter asked curiously. "Have you confessed to a boy before?"

"Once, a long time ago. I think the easy approach is better, the last thing you want is for you to have an anxiety attack. Maybe wait until the sun goes down and ask him to go on deck? Confessing in the cool night air is great. In fact, that's what I usually told my patrons when I was the hostess of my friend's bar," Haruna said, a confident look on her face. She placed a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. "Stay true to yourself, and tell him how you feel. If he feels the same, then that's great. But do try to brace for rejection. I know better than anyone how that feels,"

"I doubt he'll reject me… but I'll keep that in mind. I don't think I'm prepared for that scenario. If it does happen, is it alright if I talk to you? I think I'd need someone mature to talk to."

"Of course Mackenzie, I'll help you out if you need it. It's the duty of a Supreme Hostess to make everyone feel comfortable." Haruna said happily, ruffling the girl's hair. Mackenzie smiled brightly. She was going to tell the man of her dreams how she felt, and no one was going to stop her.

* * *

**Location: Cafe Parisien (A-Deck)**

**Time: 6:30 PM**

**Date: April 11th, 1912**

"You are such a dickhead Ashton!" Mariana snapped angrily, glaring at the dark skinned man. "I thought you were trying to become a better person. Yet here you are, pushing Felicks and calling him a fairy! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Shut the fuck up bitch! I came here to get away from you, not for you to keep bitching at me," he hissed, looking away from the woman. He took a look around the cafe, seeing a few other patrons within. They were all given him odd looks. "What? Ain't you ever seen a black man before?"

"Hey, don't do that. If we're in 1912 then segregation is still a thing… try not to cause a commotion," the manakete said, grabbing a hold of her cup. She took a sip from her coffee, sighing contently. "Nothing beats a cup of Columbian coffee… I'm surprised it's even offered here,"

"This is the grandest ship in the world dumbass, I'd be surprised if they _didn't _offer it."

"Seriously, cut the shit. I have no idea why you act all hard, but it doesn't suit you."

"I don't know what you are talking about," the man said, looking away from her. "Don't you dare think you can just come here and talk to me like you know me,"

"Oh… you think I'm scared of you? Bitch please. You think you can act so hard because you were part of a gang back in San Francisco?" the woman said, glaring at him. "I know exactly what kind of person you are. You think no one else matters but your gang friends. Because you guys are a _family _or some shit. News flash bitch, you ain't shit and your friends are probably all dead!"

"Shut up! You don't know me, so don't you even think you can assume what my life is like!"

"I'm not assuming what your life was like shithead." she exclaimed angrily. She panted a bit, sitting back in her seat. "I'm not assuming because my life is basically the same as yours," Mariana said softly.

"What?" Ashton said, his voice being soft. Mariana took a deep breath, bright eyes boring into his own.

"My father died when I was young. I never knew my mother, she left before I could even talk. My father did his best to raise me on the meager pay that he made. Shit got stressful, and he started looking for ways to cope with said stress. He was snorting 3 lines of coke just to make his life bearable," she said, shifting her gaze to her cup. "No matter what though, he always got me what I wanted. If I wanted a new toy, I'd have it that afternoon. If I wanted something good to eat, like a steak or a lamb chop, he'd buy it. He was my hero,"

"What happened to him?" the treant asked curiously. She looked up at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The same thing that happens to all drug addicts at some point. He overdosed. I was 9 years old and I had to watch as the police took my dad out of my house in a body bag," Mariana said, sinking into her chair. "Shit was tough, but I had to deal with it. Wasn't long after that I ended up the same as you, in a gang fighting to survive. The AUP was my only chance to get out of that shithole neighborhood I grew up in. It was either that or become a prostitute for some drug cartel,"

Ashton remained silent, not knowing what to say. Mariana never once showed any weakness, at least he never saw her as weak. Getting to see this side of her, it was something he never thought he'd see. It made him feel like a total douche bag for acting the way he did. He sighed, bowing his head.

"I'm sorry Mariana. I didn't think you had lived such a hard life,"

"I'm over it… sure I miss my dad but.. I can't exactly bring him back to life can I? I just gotta live every day as if it is my last." she said, stifling a giggle. "And in this game, I'm certainly living the dream. Especially because I dunno when the hell I'll die,"

"Y-yeah,"

"So, what's your story? I was able to figure out that you were a gangster from the moment I met ya. Let me guess… some sort of home abuse?" Mariana asked curiously. Ashton shook his head, setting down his empty cup.

"No actually. My life was actually perfect, went to a good school, had a good home life. Thing was, I made some bad choices when I was in high school. My dumb ass messed with some rival gangsters. I wasn't even part of a gang, but I was just dressed like a rival. One of them said they'd find out where I lived and shoot me. I told them they were welcome to try, and that they were pussies," the man said, shifting his gaze toward the window. He focused on the distant ocean, ignoring the few people that were walking down the Promenade. "I wasn't home when they did show up… they killed my entire family. My mom, my dad, my little sister and brother… they sent a message to me, not to fuck with them again."

"So that lead you to joining another gang? Their rival gang?" the manakete said.

"That's right. We ended up killing all the fucks that shot up my family, the 3rd Street Saints became my family. We started hustling, making money, robbing banks. The whole shebang. Even while the Tragedy was happening, all we did was capitalize on what we already did. Half of the Saints got killed from the war, the others scattered to the winds," he said, rolling up his sleeve. On his skin, was a Fleur-de-lis, the crest of his gang.

"The 3rd Street Saints huh? What are the odds? My friend knew a couple of hustlers in America from that Gang. Some guy named Johnny Gat, heard a story of him getting shot in the knee with a shotgun,"

"And the bastard walked away. Yeah, that man was my brother… he taught me the ropes, made me the man I am today." he said with a chuckle. "Listen, Mariana… I'm sorry. I act hard because that's how I was taught by my friends. Thing is, that's just a front… I act that way to hide my fear. I don't wanna die, not in this shithole,"

"And that gives you a reason to push people around? People younger than you? Weaker than you?" Mariana asked, leaning forward. "You are treating Felicks, like those gangsters probably treated you. Pushing him around, calling him a Fairy, a twink, a faggot and whatever else you've said to him,"

"I never called him a faggot though,"

"That doesn't matter," she said, flipping her crimson hair off her shoulder. "What does matter, is that you man up and apologize to him. He's a victim just like you and me. And you shouldn't torment him because he's different. In fact, you should nurture him, help him toughen up. Make sure he feels safe on Hora Island,"

"I'm not turning into the kid's babysitter. Fuck that shit,"

"I'm not saying you have to. Just be his older brother," she said, earning a sigh from the man.

"Fine, I will,"

"Um… excuse me? Is it alright if I join you?" the voice of Felicks shyly asked, causing the two to jump a bit. Mariana gave him a smile, standing up from her seat.

"Of course dear, in fact. Ash here wants to say something to you,"

"He does? I'm ready… you can go ahead and insult me. I know it makes you feel better," the boy shyly said. Ashton shook his head, standing up himself. He stood before the younger man, looking directly into his eyes.

"I'm sorry kid, for pushing you, and for calling names and for a lot of other shit." the man said firmly. He rubbed his arm, as he looked away from the younger boy. "I've been treating you like shit, and you don't deserve that. So yeah… I'm sorry,"

"It's okay Ashton. I know exactly how you feel… I know I should stand up for myself, but I also know how stressful things are. That's why I don't do anything, because people need outlets when they're angry," the boy said, giving him a smile. "Though now, I hope we could be friends. There are a lot of things to do on this ship, including a Squash Court! I used to play Racket Ball a lot when I was younger."

"So did I. It was such a fun game! Why don't we all set aside a time and play a game? We could all use a break from this bullshit!" Mariana said, spreading her arms a bit. "We're on the ship of dreams goddamn it! Let's fucking enjoy it!"

"Mariana, I wouldn't get too comfortable here. This is all a game after all… a realistic video game. We'll have to leave eventually, our necks are in the noose, let's not let Jibo pull the lever, okay?" the treant asked, causing the woman to laugh.

"Right, whatever. You are just scared that you'll get beat by a woman. Loosen up a bit! Let's just have some fun. I've been running around that damn island for so long that I need some relaxation time." she said, brushing off his concern. "Now, let's go to the A La Carte restaurant and try their food, I hear it's to die for!"

Felicks and Ashton shared a look, both of them becoming concerned. They didn't know why, but Mariana was beginning to act differently. Both briefly wondered if their motive was at play, or of it was something else entirely.

* * *

**Location: First Class Lounge (A-Deck)**

**Time: 6:30 PM**

**Date: April 11th, 1912**

The First Class Lounge was located amidship on the Titanic. It was inspired by the style of Louis XV. More famously, the shipbuilders took inspiration from the Palace of Versailles, making it one of the most ornate First Class, public spaces onboard. It was a large space, with a height of twelve feet, and offered a direct view of the Promenade Deck and the ocean beyond. Intermittent motifs of musical instruments could be seen all around the room, and were a more dominant feature of the lounge. It featured large rounded mirrors, which a few of the women were using to fix themselves up before dinner would begin. Bronze sconces were installed throughout the room.

A 49 light, opaque glass and ormolu electrolier with crystal embellishments, occupied the very center of the room. It was also elaborately modeled after musical instruments. The adjoining open seating areas were cosy alcoves with inset mirrors and tall bay windows. Said windows were made with leaded and stained glass, featuring various images, including one of Jesus Christ. Various plush velvet green chairs dotted the room, along with comfy looking sofas and loveseats. At the center of the room was a marble decorative fireplace. A replica of the famous Diana of Versailles stood on the mantelpiece, with a large mirror above it. The other side of the room featured a mahogany bookcase, filled with a permanent selection of books, along with the most recently written novels of the day.

"I must say, this style is something I never thought I would witness in my life time. There's so much inspiration here, from the Renaissance Era, as well as several others,"

"It's amazing. I never once thought I'd be here you know? On the Grandest Ship in the world, with a good friend by my side," Riku said, standing before the mahogany bookshelf. "I know this is all a video game, and we're in a killing game, but I can't help but want to forget. If only for the moment,"

"Forgetting isn't a good thing Riku, especially now. We are supposed to be searching for our missing friends. Though I will admit, I do feel quite comfortable here… it reminds me of my own time," Ibb said, glancing around the room. She looked up at the Electrlier, which was dimmed as the sun was setting

"What was your time like Ibb? You mentioned knowing Da Vinci, is that true?"

"Of course! I knew him personally, he was a good friend. In fact I was there when he painted the famous Mona Lisa. This may be hard to believe, but back in the day, I used to research various supernatural anomalies in the world," the runecrafter replied. She grabbed one of the books from the shelf, briefly looking at the cover.

"You were an SCP member before the SCP was a thing?" Riku asked, quirking a brow. Ibb shrugged, placing the book back on the shelf.

"I suppose, if that's what you wish to see me as. Me and my friend, Walt, used to study quite a lot of things. He was an undertaker you see, so he got to study crime scenes quite well. Some held significance, others were brutal murders. It didn't take long for us to fall into a routine, and it was that which lead to my predicament," she said. She glanced at one of the nearby paintings, swallowing hard as she backed away from it. Riku noticed this, and took a hold of her hand.

"You okay? You look like you are about to have a panic attack,"

"I-I.." she paused, her face strained as she tried to find the right words. "Fear, yes… I fear paintings. After being trapped in one for so long, I cannot gaze at them. Even if their stagnant, and beautiful, and showing landscapes. I grew fearful of them,"

Riku frowned, glancing around the lounge. There were various paintings, hanging all around the area. He took a hold of her hand, leading her toward the Promenade Deck. They left through the doors, the salty sea air hitting them. He sighed audibly, as he reached the railing, glancing down at the ocean below.

"You know it's funny. I have a fear of drowning and yet here I am on a fucking ship," the neko said, holdng back his chuckles. "Ibb, I know you are frightened of paintings, due to what happened to you. But you shouldn't stay away from them. They are a form of art after all...you can admire them all you like. None of the paintings in this game, are like the one you know,"

"I am quite aware of that Riku, but I simply cannot. I've tried to face my fears in the past, but all of them have ended in failure. My fear of the unknown, of eldritch abominations… it all spawned from that blasted painting," she replied, sweeping some hair behind her head. "Sometimes, I wonder what it would have been like if I had stayed in the 1500s. Would I have lived a better life? Would I have told Walt how I felt about him?"

"You… fell in love with that undertaker you mentioned?" the neko asked, earning a nod from the woman. "I'm sorry… it's one thing to not be able to tell someone how you feel. But you have it a lot worse than anyone. You are just drifting through the breeze," Riku said.

"What about you Riku? I was brought to Hora Island as an SCP, but what lead you to go there? It wasn't to be turned into a cat was it?"

"Hell no! If I had known I was gonna get turned into a freaking cat, I would have bailed on the AUP before I got to Hora Island!" the man exclaimed loudly. He shook his head, gazing back at the ocean. "I wanted to be talented, so I could start my own Fandubbing company. I had some friend's online who helped me make a lot of abridged series,"

"What is fandubbing?" Ibb asked, looking rather confused. Riku sighed, but gave the woman a warm look.

"Fandubbing is when you take a piece of media, say an anime or a movie, and you dub over it with new content. Like… for example, take your favorite book. Now imagine if the plot is the same, with the characters remaining the same, but everything about them changes. Like… the main character of your favorite novel, a hopeless romantic, is now a douchebag. That's what we do, except we do full voice overs,"

"I see… so you mooch off of other people's works?"

"Exactly… no wait! That's not it at all!"

"Riku, I'm pulling your leg. I know exactly what you mean," Ibb said. She sighed contently, leaning back against the railing. "You know, some fresh air is exactly what I needed. I think… I'll take your advice to heart. I'll enjoy art more, and stop fearing paintings,"

"Awesome! Maybe we can take another walk through the ship and admire the art. There's a lot of it here. Goergian, Greek, maybe even some Renaissance, you never know," the boy said, giving her a smile. Ibb nodded, holding her hand out to the neko.

"I'd love to take a walk, perhaps get to know you a little better? Besides, it's as you said. This is the Grandest Ship in the world. We may as well enjoy it while we have the chance,"

"Y-yeah… come on. Maybe we could start by admiring the paintings on the ceiling of the First Class Lounge,"

* * *

**Location: Reception Room Vestibule (D-Deck)**

**Time: 6:40 PM**

**Date: April 11th, 1912**

The Titanic's Reception room was the picture of luxury. It was the first impression that passengers would get upon entering the vessel. Semi-enclosed entrance vestibules rested at either side of the ship, leading to the gangway door that leads outside. It was decorated in richly carved mahogany, in a Jacobean-style paneling painted a glossy white. It was furnished with wicker chairs and Chesterfields, upholstered in a green damask silk. The room was beautifully lit by the setting sun, the light coming from the illuminated leaded-glass windows that ran along the sides of the room. The portholes concealed behind the windows also hid the light bulbs that were switched on during the evening. To contrast the linoleum of the upper floors, the Reception Room was covered in a plush, Axminster Carpet, that was a rich wine red in color, with lovely golden markings and solid black lines, making a great many patterns around the room.

Beautiful potted palms rested in built-in holders, in corners and alcoves around the large area. La Chasse du duc de Guise, an Aubusson tapestry, hung proudly in front of the staircase. There was a small bronze cherub at the base of the stairs, though this one lacked the torch the one on B-Deck had. On the starboard side of the ship, was a Steinway Grand Piano, a quintet of musicians having taken their place. Soft classical music filled the entire hall, as First Class Passengers started descending from their staterooms for dinner.

"Would you like some brandy sir?" a steward asked, holding a platter out to Diego. He politely declined.

"I don't drink before dinner, it makes me sick," he said. "Thank you, good sir. Perhaps later I'll take you upon it,"

"Of course sir. What about you miss?"

"Hell yeah! I'm about to get tipsy in this mother fucker!" Shiro cried out, taking a hold of the glass. She wrapped her lips around it, downing the alcohol in one gulp. She set the glass down, grabbing two more. "Oh yeah, keep it coming! And bring me a cigar while you are at it, I'm gonna be the new Fidel Castro up in this bitch!"

"Shiro! For fuck sakes, you are making a scene!" the Mexican boy hissed angrily, glaring at the girl. He fixed his tie, ignoring the looks the other passengers were given them. "I apologize sir...my fiancee is a bit… over the top when she's drunk,"

"It's quite alright sir. If I'm being honest, you are quite lucky to be with a woman like that. I shall return soon with your cigar young lady. Be advised, they are quite strong," he said, politely excusing himself. Diego sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"Listen Shiro. You have to have a certain amount of… tact… when being here. We are surrounded by a lot of rich and famous people. They may be NPCs, but we wouldn't want to cause a disturbance. Especially without knowing the repercussions of our actions,"

"Will ya lighten up? We're stuck on this stupid boat until further notice. We may as well enjoy the amenities. Especially because this is something none of us will ever experience again!" she said, setting her glass down. Her hands flew to her chest, squeezing them hard. "Look at these! I can milk these tits!"

"You can't milk those tits!" the man suddenly cried out. His hand flew to his mouth, as several more people looked in his direction. He sunk in his seat. "God why,"

"Diego you are a funny man… so, what's your reason for being in the Reception Room?" Shiro asked curiously. She brought her legs up, crossing them and resting her elbows on her knees, head propped up by her hands. "Maybe you came here with the intention of courting one of the lovely ladies here?"

"No, that isn't it. I want to take in the ambiance, not just that but this place is rather popular. If someone that we know passes by here, they'll head up towards the upper decks. We can direct them to the Palm Court."

"Take in the ambiance… why is that?" the girl asked, tilting her head slightly. "Are you a writer?"

"No… well sort of. You see, me and my sister come from a family that enjoys horror novels. We used to sit around and listen to our grandfather tells us these awesome spooky stories. Alejandra fell in love with the genre, and started writing her own," the Mexican boy said, rolling his shoulders a bit. "Her writing wasn't as good as she wanted it to be. It worked well as a fantasy novel, but not as a horror. She got really mad at this… she said that she wanted to write a good book, that perhaps if she had talent, people would respect her,"

"She went to the AUP didn't she?" the gyaru asked, earning a nod from the young man. "If that's the case, then why isn't she with us? If she came to Hora Island, then she should be among us,"

"Who knows? Maybe the old man is holding her hostage or something. I came to Hora Island to search for her. I found a poster for the AUP on her bed, and a note saying she was going for a walk. I guess some representative working for Jibo was in town. I'm such a dumbass for not paying closer attention to her,"

"Hey Diego. You aren't a dumbass… you couldn't have known she'd come here, and you couldn't have known what was going to happen," Shiro said, a hint of seriousness in her voice. She grabbed a hold of her ponytail, twirling a strand around her finger. "My sister is really sick… like really really sick. She has this disease… some sickness that has no cure. She was always so bright and vibrant. It's thanks to her that I was able to get into the gyaru culture!"

"Oh? So it was your sister that got you to wear that kind of stuff?" Diego asked, earning a vigorous nod from Shiro.

"Yup yup! She taught me how to do my make up too. She was the one who suggested white instead of black. It makes my eyes pop and I don't look like an emo fuckboi! She taught me how to sew, and I started making my own clothes too! I had to look super cute since my sister couldn't go out much," she said, her excitement dropping. "We moved from Tokyo when I was 12. The countryside was doing wonders for Miyuki… she was laughing again, and even walking! But it was rough for me… I was bullied a lot growing up… for my style, for looking weak,"

"S-Shiro… I'm so sorry, I didn't want to invoke those memories. It's a shame to hear that you were bullied," the man said, leaning forward. "Was it boys? Did they hit you?"

"Mhmm… bigger boys. These huge hicks that loved beating up people for how they looked. I worked so hard on my dress too, and they ripped it up. When I got home, my sister was by herself. She heard me sniffling, and even though she was sick, she got out of bed and held me until I stopped crying," she said, a serene smile appearing on her face. "Miyuki helped me fix my dress, and she did my makeup again. Mom and dad came home with new material too, she had texted them and they picked up everything!"

"That's good… I'm glad you were able to turn a bad situation into a good one," he said happily. Shiro reached for her half empty glass of bourbon, finishing what was left, sighing contently. "Hey… why did you join the AUP?"

"Hmm? Oh, I did it for my sister, of course. My parents couldn't pay for my schooling as well as her treatment. So I had to quit school. However, due to my talents with sewing, they thought I could perhaps get accepted into a talent school. The only one open was Skyline Academy… I was rejected. The AUP was the next best thing… if I couldn't become an Ace Fashion Designer or an Ultimate Seamstress, then I would have to get it done artificially," she said. She grabbed the half melted cubes out of the glass and threw them at the far wall, watching them shatter. "Now look at what the fuck Doctor Momota did! Turned me into a fucking executioner, as if that's going to pay my goddamned bills!"

"Shiro!"

"Miss, is something the matter?" the steward from before asked. She sighed, shaking her head. "I see… well I've brought you a refill, as well as your requested cigar. Please use the provided ashtray. These tables are made of teak and we don't want them to get ruined,"

"Yeah yeah, I'll be sure to use it," the girl said, taking the ashtray, cigar and brandy, placing the glass on the coaster next to the three empty glasses. She grabbed one of the matches and scratched the surface with her nail, causing it to ignite. She took a drag of the cigar, exhaling a cloud of smoke into the room. "Damn, that shit's smooth as butter. These rich fucks are living the dream,"

"Shiro, you are certainly the most eccentric girl I have ever met,"

"Hehe… yup! I am 100% female! Yessiree!" she replied, taking another drag of her cigar. Diego sighed, shaking his head, assuming she was just tipsy.

He glanced up, glancing at the foot of the Grand Staircase. A few people bristled a bit at the sight of the blue haired girl, who seemed to have shown up in the Reception Room. Mutters soon filled the air, as she looked around, visibly confused. Diego rapidly stood up, closing the distance between himself and the young woman. At the sight of the Mexican boy, she calmed down.

"I'm so glad to see a familiar face,"

"Same here Sayaka. I wasn't expecting to see you here though, especially since you are dead." he said, gesturing towards Shiro with his head. "Come over this way, these people are starting to look,"

The idol nodded, following Diego back toward the table he had claimed. Shiro was laying back against her chair, legs crossed as she puffed on her cigar. She exhaled a large cloud of smoke, just as a few rich men walked by.

"_My word, I've never seen a lady dress like that. She looks so ghastly," _

"_The cigar isn't doing her any favors. That girl needs to be sent to finishing school, that or a monastery where she can learn some manners," _

"Blow it out your ass you chucklefucks! I could give two testicles about what you two think of me!" Shiro cried, flipping the two off. They hurried along, earning more disgusted looks from their friends. She heard Diego sigh.

"I can see you are enjoying yourself, Shiro."

"Oh hey! It's the dead girl! Wow you don't look so dead… what's up with you being here?"

"Well.. I came here to explain what's going on. Surrashakuma is here… she gave me and the other ghosts a motive. The Golden Tickets were offered to us as well… but there was a more dangerous motive given to us," the idol said, frowning as she leaned forward. "If any of us manage to kill someone, we'll get a cloned body for our troubles. Provided we survive the class trial, I think,"

"This is serious… I need to tell the others about this, we're all in danger. Especially if Dylan is among you," Diego said softly.

"I wouldn't worry about just him. They don't mention it often, but all of the others yearn to come back to life. Among them, are Giselly, Ren, Rei and Hikaru. Tsumugi has made peace with what happened to her, and so has Mallory. Neither of them will attack, but at this rate, I wouldn't put it past them,"

"What about you Sayaka?" Shiro asked, causing the idol to look at her. "Don't you yearn for life too?"

"Of course I do… more than anything. But I am not going to kill someone just so I could get my body back. Besides…" she paused, closing her eyes tightly. "The people that I love… have all moved on without me. There's no point for me in the world of the living,"

"I don't think so." the Mexican boy said, causing her to tilt her head. "I'm assuming you also get a body if you find a ticket. Maybe you'll get lucky… who knows right? But don't say there isn't a point for you in this world." He said.

"He's right you know… the world could use a singer like you, to bring the people that are left hope. Junko destroyed the world, but as an Ultimate, you have what it takes to change the world. Especially if you are from Hope's Peak Academy," Shiro said, taking a drag from her cigar. "But what do I know…?"

"I dunno… I don't think I deserve it. Regardless, I came here to see if you were all together. I want to gather everyone up and explain the motive. If we can get past these four days, we'll be able to kiss this motive goodbye."

"Hell yes… I love the decor here, but I'd rather be on Hora Island, in reality. I'm not sure what may happen if we continue hanging around here. For now, we should gather everyone up. Did you have a place in mind?"

"Tsumugi suggested the Second Class Lounge. I think it would be a perfect place for all of us. The NPCs don't seem to talk to us, at least not anyone who's a staff member. It would be the place where we hold our meetings," Sayaka said, earning a firm nod from Diego.

"Then that's our play. Let's go, once we figure everything out we can make a plan!"

* * *

_**xxx(End of Act 6)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 23**

**Ghost Peeps: 11**

**Hostages: 7**

**A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome to the end of Act 6, I hope you are liking this so far. I've been having a lot of fun writing this. I was honestly nervous about this whole thing. While I am confident that I can write something Titanic related, I was unsure if it would fit within the setting of a Horror story. But I'm certain it will work out just fine.**

**I've got a lot of things planned for the remaining chapters of this arc. Things are going to start getting very interesting, especially with our ghostly friends. Not only that, but our hostages have also made their appearance, and I'm certain things are gonna heat up sooner or later!**

**Anyways, this chapter is already over 10,000 words. Still getting used to Docs and everything, so I've been unintentionally writing over my usual limit of 8 thousand, but I doubt you all care. Slightly longer chapters mean more things for y'all to enjoy! Whelp… see ya soon.**

**Will the Titanic hit the Iceberg? Who knows?**

**Will someone die? Oh definitely**


	22. C2 Act 7: The Ship of Dreams

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 7

The Ship of Dreams

_**xxx**_

**Location: Second Class Library (C-Deck)**

**Time: 10:00 PM**

**Date: April, 1912**

"Alright, now that all of us have gathered here, we have to discuss what is happening," Tsumugi said, gaining the attention of everyone.

The group consisted of all the Killing Game Participants, the seven hostages and the ghosts that had been brought into the Neo World Program. Worried looks could be seen on most people, while others were relaxed or outright ignorant of what was going on. Maria was the next to speak, seeing herself as a representative of the hostages.

"Tsumugi is right, by the will of whatever powers exist, all of us were brought together. This is the first game in which hostages and outside participants have been able to interact with killing game participants. I'm certain this is what Jibo intended,"

"No duh… he planned this intentionally. He wants to see all of us suffer for whatever stupid ass reason. Only thing is, he made it quite easy for one of us to kill," Lars said smugly.

"Leave it to you to bring up death during all of this. Seriously, do you not have anything intelligent to say? Or is everything you ever think of bullshit?" Mariana asked, glaring at the man. He flipped her off, deciding not to respond.

"Ignore him," Daisuke said with a sigh. "Now then, it is quite obvious exactly where we are. The RMS Titanic. The date is April 11th 1912, as proven by Mrs. Orion who-"

"Aikeno… please dear, just call me by name," the woman said happily. She had her arm wrapped around Reukra's waist, much to his embarrassment, and secretly, his delight. Daisuke nodded, deciding to continue on.

"Right, it was discovered by Aikeno earlier that it is April 11th. That means we are already 1 day into this voyage. History states that the Titanic traveled at a speed of 25 knots, meaning we will make it to New York by Wednesday Morning. But that is not what matters here, what matters is how we are going to get out of the NWP,"

"Yes… Syd and Surasshakuma neglected to mention that. However I believe that if we make it to New York without losing a single soul among us, we shall be granted our leave. Alternatively, if someone finds a Golden Ticket, I'm sure we will be allowed to leave both the game and the island. That is something that I am not going to test out," Diego said.

"Why not?" Vanessa asked, earning looks from everyone. "If there's a golden ticket that will grant you freedom, why not find one?"

"Believe me sis… it's a lot better if you steer clear of those things," Charlotte said, glancing at her glass. She stared at her reflection on the surface of her drink. "Every single time we manage to complete a task on the island, we are awarded a silver ticket. Even for class trials, Miyaki was given one for being the MVP of the last one,"

"It's something I'd rather not talk about please," the circus performer said softly. At the sound of her voice, a certain someone started laughing. Dylan's mirth was felt by everyone, and it was not contagious. He calmed down, flicking a tear away from his eyes.

"Oh lighten up… at least you are here right? I never thought I would see you again though. The look on your face was priceless! Who knows… I might just stab ya next time!"

"You touch a hair on my daughter's head, and I will destroy you!" Shidou snapped angrily, slamming his fist against the table. "Don't test me boy!"

"You're dumber than your stupid daughter. I'm dead jackass… what the fuck are you gonna do, stab a ghost? Besides, everyone loved the Swine's Feast! It was the most entertaining part of that stupid game. Shame that Miyaki wasn't fully devoured by those piggies!"

"That is enough!" Tsumugi snapped, forcing herself to her feet. She pushed her glasses up her nose, glaring at the teenager. "You do not have the right to taunt people like this. Just because you are dead doesn't mean you can go around saying mean things to people. Miyaki is traumatized enough, we do not need her having a nervous breakdown or worse,"

"You are such a buzzkill… sheesh when did you become my mom?" Dylan asked, leaning back in his seat. "Also, let's not forget miss, but you were once Junko Enoshima's right hand. So you have no season to talk back to me. So get off your fucking high-horse, Mrs. Kettle!"

"Gah! All of this pointless arguing is so freaking stupid!" Miya exclaimed loudly, glaring at everyone around the table. "Stop behaving like children. You bunch of fricks! If we are going to work together to get out of here, then let's do so. If not then don't waste my freaking time, I've got better crap to do!"

"Like what? Finger yourself in your stateroom? That would be a good way to waste some time," Lars said, causing Mariana to slap him in the back of the head. "Ow...you stupid-" he was cut short by another slap, this time he remained silent.

"P-please! We all gathered here to work together, and to get out of here. C-can we not start arguing like kids and get with the program?" Miyuki asked. She squeezed Shiro's hand tightly, a frown on her face. "I don't want my little sister here to die because of your actions,"

"I agree with Miyuki. Clearly, we were brought here for a reason and it's already its becoming obvious. There are some of us who are starting to lose touch with reality. Most if not all of us see this place as a game. But already, I can count a few people who see this as the real RMS Titanic," Ethan said firmly.

"What do you mean by 'losing touch'?" Riku asked, confusion written on his face.

"It means you are starting to believe this place is real. You'll start thinking this is the real world, soon enough, you won't want to leave. You'll go on living here, forgetting the fact that your body is just a sack of shit in a tube somewhere," Ashton said.

"That's worrying," Haruna said, her gaze shifting to Mackenzie, who was sneaking glances at Daisuke every so often. "I think some of us are starting to blur the lines between reality and delusion. I believe this is the real motive,"

"Make us believe all of this is real? Why would he do that?" Rei asked curiously, leaning back in her seat. "I mean, half of us are dead, why would it matter?"

"Because sweetheart… we're alive in this place," Hikaru said, taking a hold of Rei's hand, squeezing it tightly. "All of us are dead. But in this place, we have bodies. It's as if we got a new chance at life. Imagine if the lines became so blurred that this became our reality? What if they took it away and we had to go back to being dead, wouldn't you want to stop it?"

"Hikaru is correct in this assumption," Evan said firmly. He brushed some hair out of his eyes as he glanced around the table. "The ones who are deceased have more of a motivation to strike against the living. Should we not find a golden ticket, I fear some of you may become targets,"

"Pfft… you act like you aren't already thinking about it," Dylan said, tapping the empty glass before him with a finger. "Think about it… we're all dead, so why the fuck would it matter? Why not off one of these fucks and get a brand new body?"

"Because that would go against every single one of my beliefs. I do not care to return to life, and I do not care for you. It is because of you that Ren and I are dead in the first place," the former Mythologist said. "It is because of you that Miyaki and Mikhail died first, and it is thanks to you that Mallory is dead too. So if you even think about murdering someone, believe me, I will stop you,"

"Evan please… I don't want you to fight, especially not for me," Mallory said, shaking her head slightly. "I've made peace with my death… I have no reason to return to the living, Hora Island is where I belong. It's the only place where I truly feel accepted,"

"You poor thing! You didn't deserve to die in the first place! Shame on you for killing her Dylan! If I had my Salamence with me, I'd have him burn you alive!" Kanemoto cried out, glaring at the man. "You boob!"

"We aren't making any headway here," Sayaka, the former idol said with a sigh. "I believe we should break for the evening. We came here to discuss things and all we did was dick around and do nothing. Hell, half of you look about ready to drop,"

"Apologies Sayaka… the lot of us discovered our tickets earlier and decided to eat in the First Class Dining Saloon," Eris said patting her stomach. "It was a rather fine meal, I must say. Better than anything I have ever eaten."

"Oh tell me about it. The chefs at the A La Carte restaurant were amazing. We got some guy to pay for us too… what was his name again?" Mariana asked, looking at Felicks and Ashton.

"I dunno… Guggenheim I think? He and his mistress hit it off with Mariana, the two were talking as if they had been friends forever. He had no trouble paying for us at all,"

"No shit, you three met the second richest man in the world. You guys are fucking lucky!" Daisuke said.

"Whatever the case may be, I believe Sayaka has a point. We need to break for today, let the weight of the day disappear. We shall meet here tomorrow at 3:00 PM. Please try not to cause a commotion. We'll make it however long we have too, I'm sure of it," Maria said, giving the others a hopeful smile.

Though her words felt a bit empty, they all hoped that, for her sake, nothing bad happened.

* * *

**Location: Aft-Well Deck (Third Class Promenade-C-Deck)**

**Time: 10:45 PM **

**Date: April, 1912**

"What do you make of all this mom? Do you think people are starting to lose touch with reality like Ethan said?" the storyteller asked, earning a sigh from the woman. She wasn't exactly sure what to say to her son. It had been such a long time since they had a decent conversation, and now that they had time, it had to be about a killing game of all things.

"I can't say for sure dear. I'm not certain how these things work… I've been keeping track of the other games, but this didn't pop up in any of them." she replied, earning a frown from the man.

"How are things mom? I don't exactly remember when I was brought to Hora Island. I'm sure I saw the end of the Lunar Killing Game, but everything is so skewed," he said softly.

"Another killing game has sprung up, I'm afraid. There's a floating island that's housing an amusement park. It's called Kuma-Kuma Land, and several Ultimates have been shoved in their own Killing game." Maria said, uttering a sigh. "Hundreds of copycat games have popped up too, one in a parking lot, one in a school in Seoul, and a few in America as well."

"Dear God… when will this nightmare end?" He mumbled dryly, reaching for his bag, which wasn't with him. "If only I wasn't stuck in this game, on this godforsaken spit of land,"

"What would you do then? Risk your life? For who? For what?" the woman asked firmly, glaring at her son. "I don't pretend to know why you do the things you do. Believe me, when Erika told me what that bastard did to her, I was about to do him in myself. Then comes the shining star, taking matters into his own hands." Maria said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Daisuke, I love you with all my heart, but you need to stop doing foolish things,"

"I'm sorry mom… but the world needs someone to get rid of the trash. Ultimate Despair ruined our lives. Grandma died because of a coup in Barcelona. Tami-Lynn, your girlfriend, was killed by some asshole on the streets. My step sisters were both strung up by their tendons and turned into marionettes. Do you actually think I can forgive that?"

"Of course not!" Maria replied hastily. She sighed, heading toward the nearby railing. She grabbed a hold of the bars, squeezing them tightly. "I will never forget what they have done to us son. I will never forget losing Tami, and my kids. But I will not throw my life away either, because nothing I can do will bring them back. You have to learn to let go Daisuke,"

"Let go? What do I have to let go?" the man asked firmly. He looked away from the woman, an angry look on his face. "I have to let go of the people that I've lost? The ones that have died for no fucking reason? I have to let go of their hopes and dreams? I'm the only one who remembers them! Because I am not doing that!"

"Sweetheart, this is-"

"No! You are my mother, and I get that you are concerned for my well being, but you will listen to me," the man exclaimed, causing Maria to shut up. She had never seen her son this upset, but she figured she'd let him speak. "I have spent the last few years, trying to get this world back to normal. I've killed more Ultimate Despairs then you can ever imagine. The pain that I felt when doing it broke me… because those were once people like you and me, who were normal. Who had hopes and dreams, just like you and I,"

"So you risk yourself to put them out of their misery? For what purpose son?"

"There is no purpose,"

"Then why do it?" Maria exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. "What the fuck are you doing? You are just wasting your life away for no reason! You… you are doing this because of her aren't you?"

"What? What are you insinuating?" Daisuke asked, visible confusion on his face. Maria shortened the distance, standing firmly before her son. Despite being shorter than him, she still looked quite intimidating.

"Hiyoko is the only reason you are doing this right? You blame yourself for what happened to her. You blame yourself for allowing her to fall into despair, for being the mastermind of the Horizon Killing Game, and for whatever else happened at Hope's Peak Academy,"

"That is not it… do you think I am actually doing this because of her? Because a part of me still has some shred of attachment to her? She stopped being my Palomita the moment she turned her back on me. The moment she became pregnant with a child of despair… I wanted nothing more than to run my Tanto through her guts!"

"And that's why you have to let this go. Sparkling Justice will only get you killed… this sick thirst for vengeance, for Justice? That is despair… you have to pull yourself back before you fall too deep. If you do… I don't think I'll be able to save you!" the woman said, holding back tears. Daisuke sighed, turning away from her.

"Despair? Me? I'm sorry mom but you are wrong… I am not using despair… in fact I am ridding the world of it. It's my duty as the Sparkling Star of Justice, I can't quit now,"

"Why not?"

"BECAUSE IT'S ALL I HAVE LEFT!" he shouted, causing the woman to shy back in surprise. Everything went silent… the only sound that could be heard was that of the ship cutting through the ocean. "It's… it's all I have left,"

"What… do we not matter?" Maria suddenly said, narrowing her eyes. "Does your little sister not matter? Did you know she's been waiting for you to come home? Even though Tokyo is still recovering, she yearns to hug her brother again. She yearns for you to read her a bedtime story like you used to! But you prioritize killing criminals over spending time with your family!"

"To keep you safe! To make sure the two of you don't die like the rest of my classmates and my friends! Do you think I enjoy reliving those moments? Do you think I like watching Gundham being killed with wax? Do you think I enjoy reliving Sonia and Sayaka's deaths? They were my best friends in high school, and I had to stand there watching as Kiyo killed them!" he cried back, fists shaking angrily. "I will not stop, until everyone involved with Junko Enoshima is dead… and right now, I am in a good spot. Because I can take out the old man and end this farce before anyone else dies,"

"That's what he wants… don't you think he's prepared for this? He isn't alone on this island. He's got his son, his assistants… you may be Sparkling Justice, but on an island filled with supernatural creatures, failed subjects from his experiments… you don't stand a chance. Think this through… you are my little boy… one of my proudest achievements in life, and I don't want to see you die to this cruel game,"

"I'm not going to, mama. The last thing I want is to die at the hands of Jibo Momota. I will get off this island, alive. You don't have to worry about that," Daisuke said reassuringly. Maria sighed, shaking her head.

"I guess you are right on that front. Sparkling Justice has gotten out of the gutter many times before. Just be careful… I don't want to hear on the news that you were found hanging from a clock tower, or that you were decapitated in Versailles or some shit."

"I won't mom… besides, I know when to bail on a target when it gets too tough to handle," the man said, brushing off her concern. He sighed, glancing up at the sky. The stars were absolutely astounding. He smiled a bit, not noticing the tear that ran down his cheek. Maria said nothing, rather she wiped away the tears on her son's face, hugging him tightly.

"Excuse me… am I bothering you?" a familiar voice called out. Daisuke release his hold on his mother and turned around, meeting the curious gaze of Mackenzie. The painter had been standing behind them, near a couple benches on the Poop Deck. She had a sheepish look on her face. "I can come back later… I know it's been awhile since you've seen your son,"

"No sweetheart… it's fine. I think I need to cool off for a bit, maybe have a smoke. You two enjoy the cool air. Daisuke, don't do anything I wouldn't do," Maria said, giving him a wink. Daisuke sighed, shaking his head.

"Jesus Harold Christ mom... I'm not as wild as you, I actually keep my tongue in my mouth,"

"Yeah well, if you want to really please a woman, you'll learn to use it more often. See ya later son! I love you."

"Love you too mom," the man said, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. He cleared his throat, turning back to Mackenzie. "So… what would you like to talk about, Kenzie?"

"I uh… I came to tell you something. Would you come with me? I want to be away from everyone else," the blonde said, taking his hand into her own. He said nothing as he let himself be guided toward the very back of the Poop Deck. a few third class passengers were milling about, but paid no attention to them.

"Huh… this is the part where Rose wanted to commit suicide… what an idiot. She wanted to jump from the back of the Titanic, all she had to do was wait a few days," Daisuke said jokingly. Mackenzie giggled, not really saying anything. The two came to a stop beside the railing, right next to a sign that warned of the triple screw propellers.

"Daisuke… what I want to tell you is really serious. So please listen to me, okay?" she asked, causing the boy to quirk his brow. He gave her a nod. "Okay… this is the first time I've ever done this but… I have too. Dais… I love you!"

"I'm sorry?" the man said, being taken aback by her outburst. She blushed brightly, as she looked at her feet.

"I really like you Daisuke. You saved my life not that long ago, and you've been very kind to me. I know you see me like a little sister but I don't see you like a big bro. Not anymore… it's been really challenging for me. But I have to come clean with my emotions," she said, looking back at the man. "I wanted to tell you, because Shiro and Charlotte clearly like you too, and I'm sure Miyaki likes you too. I don't want to lose you to them!"

"_Well, I wasn't expecting this at all. Is she growing delusional too? Mackenzie has never shown any attraction towards me. She's always been a shy girl, as far as I know, of course." _he thought, a frown on his face. "_This is probably the effect of this game… poor girl… I don't even know what to say," _

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to say something?" the girl asked curiously. "Oh… you're speechless right? You weren't expecting a cute girl to confess right?"

"No, that isn't it. Mackenzie sweetheart… I'm not sure why you are saying this, but I think it's due to the game we're in."

"What game? What are you talking about?" she asked, clearly confused.

"You know… the Neo World Program? We're in a 3 dimensional video game. The Titanic we are on is just a program,"

"I've… never heard of video games. Are you sure you aren't imagining things? We boarded the Titanic in Southampton. We came here as a class, going to a new school that's opening in America. How could you forget?"

"I didn't… that never…" he paused, glancing up at the sky. "_Yeah… this is definitely an effect of this game. Goddamn it… of course it had to come to this."_

Mackenzie huffed, growing annoyed with the man of her affections. She decided to take matters into her own hands. She grabbed a hold of his shirt, pulling him downward. She placed a kiss on his lips, wrapping her arm around his neck to keep him in place. He struggled to pull away, but her grip was almost inescapable. Due to his own flailing she had managed to slip her tongue into his mouth, unintentionally deepening the kiss. After a moment, he pushed the girl off of himself, eyes widened in surprise.

"Mackenzie, what the hell?!" he cried, wiping his lips.

"Daisuke?"

The man turned his head slowly, spotting Charlotte not far from where the pair were standing. She had a look of shock on her face. It was clear that she had seen the entire engagement. The man reached out, trying to explain what was going on, but she took off before her could. The soft clacking of her heels softened as she grew out of earshot. He balled his fist, turning to the painter, a frown on his face.

"Mackenzie, I'm sorry… I really am. But all of this is a game, you don't feel anything for me. Nothing at all, it's all emotions and delusions being fed to you by this fucking program. Now I have to explain to Charlotte that this was all a misunderstanding. Of course she's not gonna believe jack shit!"

"But… but…"

"Listen sweetie… I know what you are feeling may seem real, but it isn't. I only see you as a little sister okay? I can't see you as anything else. Besides, I'm too old for you, you need someone your age. A man who can care care of you or a girl who you can cuddle with and paint whatever your heart desires with. I'm not that man… please, let's just stay friends," he said.

"Y-you're right… I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. I should have taken your feelings into consideration as well. It's just… your so… hot!" she said, taking a breath. "I think I need to take a shower. A really long, very cold shower,"

With that, she took off on her down, a confused look on her face. Daisuke watched her go, wondering why her emotions had suddenly shifted. His eyes returned to the skies above, a glare on his face as he grabbed onto the railing behind him. "_Jibo… what the hell is the meaning of all of this? What's the purpose of this program? Are you just trying to make us lose touch with reality or is there a hidden agenda you are working towards?"_

* * *

**Location: Starboard Promenade Deck**

**Time: 11:20 PM**

**Date: April 11th, 1912**

"You seem like a pretty interesting kid. What's up with your attitude? It was pretty funny what you said to that blonde cunt earlier," Lars said, earning a chuckle from Dylan who was leaning against the nearby railing.

"Eh, why bother being a friendly ghost? I'm fucking dead so I don't have to pretend to be nice anymore. It's fun to see the looks on their faces. Besides, this motive doesn't really motivate me to do anything." the boy said, a small smirk appearing on his face. "Then again, I am tempted to take the plunge."

"So you want a body? That means you'll have to kill a person in order to do that. You've killed before so it shouldn't be an issue. It's that pesky trial you have to survive," the demonologist said. Dylan reached into his jacket, reaching for something. Lars let out an impressive whistle as the teenager flashed a golden ticket. "Nice, that's impressive. How'd ya get it?"

"It wasn't hard, there was a lady in the first class that was boasting about her riches. I forget what her name was… Brown something. She ended up handing a valet some money and in return he gave her this ticket. Said it was to be redeemed for something on the ship, naturally, I followed her to her suite and offed her. I threw her body into the ocean so no one is going to find her," he said, shoving it back into his shirt sleeve.

"Hmm… so some passengers are holding these tickets. I think I might have to start paying attention to them. In order for my plan to work, I need a ticket of my own. How about we make a truce? I've got someone with me on the outside that will help us. She's a bit… tricky to deal with, but she's pretty powerful. What do you say kid? Help me secure a ticket and we get outta this shitole island?"

"I think I'll pass on your offer. I wouldn't want to risk losing this ticket… then again, there are some people on this ship that are a major pain in the ass. It would be a shame if they were left alive. That Tsumugi bitch thinks she's all that, just because she's been here the longest! Well I want her to go to the great beyond, that we no one will hold me back." Dylan said, earning an eye roll from the older teen.

"So, you wanna send her to the other side? Have you considered what might happen if you kill her in here?" Lars asked curiously, causing the young man to tilt his head. "Think about it, these are more than mere avatars my friend. They house our souls… so what do you think happens if someone dies here?"

"They would… die in real life?"

"Exactly… and if a ghost is just a soul…" the demonologist continued. Dylan's mouth curled into a smile, a bright grin showing all of his teeth.

"Ohohoho! I like the way you think Lars! So if I off one of the ghosts here, then their souls would be destroyed by the machine! They're barely being tethered to this realm, so if they were to get a huge shock from the machines we're in… well you know what happens,"

"Precisely… so can I count on you to make something happen? You got that golden ticket, so you'd be home free," the demonologist said, earning a nod from the teen.

"Mhmm… and with my luck, I'll get away with it too! Thanks for opening my eyes man, I think I'll go scheme something. See ya around! Maybe if we get outta here, we can go on a world wide killing spree! I gotta find that bitch Yukiko and give her what for!" he held his hand out to Lars, giving him a grin. "Thanks for keeping me company, not a lot of people want to hang out with someone like me,"

"Sure… I was in the area so why the hell not?" Lars replied, shaking his hand.

With that, the young man took his leave, throwing the promenade into silence. Lars turned around, leaning over the railing as he looked out the window into the sea. Once he knew he was alone, he reached into his pocket, pulling out the golden ticket that he had swiped from Dylan.

"Dumb ass… I can't believe I'm surrounded by idiots. Oh well… this certainly makes my work here a lot easier. Now the true planning can begin,"

* * *

**Location: Third Class Library (E-Deck)**

**Time: 11:45 PM**

**Date: April 11th, 1912**

Despite knowing that her friend was on the ship, Giselly was a hard woman to find. She wanted to speak to her after the meeting, but she had left the moment she could. It was almost as if she was actively avoiding Miyaki.

She had been searching the First Class corridors, and asking a few people if they had seen her. All of them had rudely told her off and went on their way. The few nice people that answered, had told her they had spotted a woman of her description on C-Deck, walking down the Grand Staircase. So she had immediately headed in that direction, racing down the stairs, much to the annoyance of the others. Once she had made it to the Reception Room, she started walking toward the Vestibule, finding an adjacent stairwell that lead down to E-Deck, as she had been unable to find her on C-Deck.

The blonde had made it down to Scotland Road, the longest corridor in the ship. She had heard some people call it that, after a street in Scotland. It spanned the entirety of the ship, from Stem to Stern. It was also where most 3rd Class cabins were located. Tsumugi had told everyone that they have been given 3rd Class tickets, while the hostages had been placed in 2nd class. She was beginning to wonder if Jibo had done that intentionally for a reason or another. But she hadn't arrived at a proper answer.

She didn't know where to look, the 3rd class didn't have many facilities aboard the ship, not like the 1st and 2nd classes. She was eventually able to find one place that she knew her friend would be in. the 3rd Class Library. There weren't many people there at this time, as most people had been in the Congregation room or in their cabins. However, she did find the person she was looking for.

Giselly was at a table, with various books stacked beside her. It seemed as if she had been there for awhile, pouring over each text for whatever reason. She didn't even notice the blonde approach until it was too late. She looked up from her book, eyes widened in surprise. She rapidly stood up, only for Miyaki to slam her hand onto the table top.

"Stop!" she cried, almost angrily. "I have been searching this entire ship for hours trying to find you. I don't know what it is I did to you but this is where it ends. You and I are going to have a talk or so help my god, I will yank your ponytail until I rip every hair out of your scalp.

"I have nothing to say to you Miyaki. Please… just let me be,"

"No… Gis, you are one of my closest friends in the world. Do you know how long I've yearned to see you again? To speak with you? Do you know how long it's been since we've even seen each other?" the circus performer asked, tears in her eyes. "I died… without getting to find out what happened to you. Without getting to say goodbye, to you or Shuhei. I found out what happened to you, and it sucks that you two are dead but…"

"Shuhei isn't dead," Giselly said, finally speaking. The raven haired girl looked back at the blonde, who had a look of confusion on her face. "He made it out of the Horizon Space Station… unlike someone else,"

"What… that's not true. Alice said that Shuhei died… so did Shiori," Miyaki said, tilting her head. She narrowed her eyes a bit. "Are you lying about the events?"

"Lying? What reason would I have to lie to you? What I am telling you is the truth… I would know since I lived through it, up until the final moments. I could go into detail if you want me too," the former hacker said. The two girls heard a loud tap on the table, whirling to see Surasshakuma standing at the end of it.

"_**Ahem… I'm not sure if you are aware of the rules but… anyone who speaks of the previous killing games will be punished. I know Miss Lutzen doesn't care since she's dead and all, but you Miss Hanao are in very deep shit," **_

"Piss off you Carnival Reject. The only reason you made this rule is because you are hiding something from all of them. This rule is a scapegoat so you fucks can hide behind it, but I am onto you!" Giselly said, earning a laugh from Surrashakuma. The two toned bear walked up to her, placing her cane under her chin.

"_**Are you now? Because the way I see it, I have the high ground. All of you are in a very special facility, resting in the real world. While the living have brains that can be turned into mush, the ghosts have nothing to give but their souls. What do you think would happen if a ghost died in this simulation?" **_the bear asked curiously. Miyaki swallowed the lump in her throat.

"There's no need to threaten us… we'll stop talking about the past killing games okay?" she said. Surrashakuma sighed, shaking her head. She tipped her hat back slightly, glaring at the former circus performer.

"_**Since you haven't really broken the rules before, I'll let you off with a warning this time. However, I have a more permanent way to remind you not to fuck with me," **_she said. She pressed a button on her cane, much to the confusion of the two girls.

A second or so later, Miyaki let out a scream of pain. She dropped to her knees, clutching her hand tightly, tears streaking down her face. "It hurts! Fuck, it hurts!"

"What the hell did you do to her?" Giselly snapped, glaring at the bear. "If you did something to her in the real world, I will fucking end you!"

"_**Pfft… that's funny. Take a look at your hand sweetheart," **_

Miyaki sniffled as she sat up, looking at the back of her left hand. Her eyes widened a bit when saw the letter A branded into her skin. It was an ugly fleshy color, and looked like it was bubbling. She traced her finger over it, hissing in pain. Despite the fact that she was in a simulation, she could feel the pain, as if someone had lasered it into her skin. She looked up at Surrashakuma, who was grinning like a child on Christmas Morning.

"_**That letter A stands for quite a few things. Artificial Ultimate, Adultery, Asshat, you name it! However for you, the scarlet letter stands for one obvious thing. Sin… you my friend are a sinner. And sinners must be punished, breaking our rules is a capital offense on Hora Island. That A is your first and final warning, the next one will take off your head. And believe me… you look a lot cuter with your head on your shoulders," **_

With that, the bear took her leave. Giselly said nothing as she disappeared from the library. Miyaki remained sitting on the floor, sitting against one of the chairs. She kept staring at the A that was branded onto her skin. No doubt it had also been present on her hand in the real world. She closed her eyes, allowing her hair to partially obscure her face. Her shoulders shook a bit as she spoke.

"Sometimes… I wonder why I'm even alive. I think I should have stayed dead… I'm too weak to be in this world. It should have been someone else… Mallory, Amare, Ren… anyone but me,"

"Miyaki that's a crock of shit and you know it," Giselly said, sitting down next to her best friend. She reached a hand to her, brushing the hair away from her face. "You are smart, sweet, kind and crazy talented. The world would be a dark place without you in it. Think about it, your talent is meant to entertain people, to bring them joy, and happiness. To bring them hope!"

"No… that was before. The Ultimate Circus Performer is dead. I'm the shell that was left behind. Miyaki Hanao died in the Lunar Colony… what's inside me now, is the organs of my dead friends! Body parts that weren't eaten by those fucking hogs… that's all I am. I'm a living Frankenstein!" she cried out, slamming her fist against the ground. "I shouldn't be here… I should be dead… I would be more at peace. I was just brought back by Jibo so I could suffer,"

"Miyaki that isn't true!" an almost unfamiliar voice said. She shifted her gaze upward, spotting Ren, who was standing next to Giselly. Mallory was with them as well, the former Gardener had a small smile on her face.

"R-Ren." she softly spoke. The voice actor gave her a small wave and a smile, placing a hand on his hip.

"Kiki, I'm going to be honest with you. Seeing you like this breaks my heart. You were there for me when I was scared and alone. So I wanna be here for you. You easily became my best friend in that killing game." he said. His eyes closed, a far off look appearing on his face. "When I saw you, lying on the ground in the garden next to Mikhail… I was so distraught. I felt like a failure for letting something bad happen to you,"

"I feel the same Miyaki… it's because of my narcolepsy that you ended up being killed. If I hadn't lost my MonoPad, then you would have made it out of that game too!" Mallory said.

"No… there's no reason to guarantee that I would have… Mallory, you know full well how Dylan was. He attacked you when you were at your weakest. And Ren… he got you during the body switching motive. I'm sure he would have gotten me too… at some point or another,"

"With an attitude like that, I'm sure he would have." Giselly said, a sigh escaping her lips. She shook her head, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Look, Miyaki we've been through some heavy shit. I'm not gonna deny that. But you have to stand firm on your own two feet. Don't let this world keep hitting you when you are down. Take the bull by the horns, fight with everything you've got. Remember how hard you fought for Marie when she took her life?"

"Y-yes… I remember." the blonde said softly. She sniffed, wiping her tears away. "I remember how angry I was that I hadn't noticed Marie's mood shift. I was angry that I didn't help her when she needed it. I was angry that Marie took her life before I could tell her I was in love with her. I was fucking pissed when that fucker Toni wanted to get away with it."

"Use that anger as fuel then…" Ren said firmly, giving her a smile. "Use it to fuel your hopes, your desires! Use it to win this fucking game… to get off Hora Island and get back to the real world. You can't let despair get away with this… you are the only one capable of doing that Miyaki! Believe it!" he said, using his Naruto Uzumaki voice.

"Ren is right… we may not be able to do anything on this world anymore. But as one of the survivors of that horrible game, you have to keep going. Even if you died, you got to come back! That's far better than the fate all three of us got dealt… these killing games don't hold anything back… even my cousin was put into one recently, and I'm not sure he'll make it out alive," Mallory said, looking worried.

"I… I don't know what to say to you guys," Miyaki said, forcing herself to her feet. She jumped at Giselly, hugging her tightly. "I've missed you so much… we were in stasis for such a long time. The first thing I saw was the destruction of that station. I didn't think you were on there… Giselly, I love you. You're my best friend!"

"I love you too kiddo. But right now, you have to focus on beating this motive. I've been keeping track of a few people and well… it isn't pretty," the ravenette said, frowning. "It seems whatever this simulation is doing, it's making it seem as if all of this is real. Though I'm sure you knew that already. We have to find a way to end this motive, before everyone loses touch with reality,"

"How are we going to do that? It's not like we can hack into this system," the circus performer said. Giselly giggled, glancing to Ren and Mallory, who had similar smiles on their faces. Miyaki gave them a confused look. "No way… you actually plan on doing that?"

"She does… we've actually found a way we can do it. We've been trying to see if there is a highly secured area on the ship. Usually, that's where an inside terminal would be. As luck would have it, we found one. The Marconi Room," Ren said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a folded blueprint, placing it on the table. "It's here, near the Officers Quarters on the Bridge. The Marconi Room serves two functions. For the purpose of the ship, it's to send out Messages to other ships via morse code."

"But for us… it's a little different," Giselly said. "This is where the user interface for the Neo World Program is located. This is a 3.0 version, running different software. However, if we can access the terminal, I'm sure I can shut it down from the inside. Not a lot of people know this, but Chihiro Fujisaki hired me onboard for this project. He wanted me to hack his system to see if he could fix the bugs. I know my way around the OS and UI of this thing,"

"That's impressive. Giselly I didn't know you were that smart!" Mallory said, causing the girl to sigh.

"Well not everyone has plants on the brain like you do sweetheart. Believe me...this is the easy part. Knowing is half the battle, getting into the Marconi Room is going to be the hardest thing to do. It's monitored by officers who are controlling the ship. Not to mention the operators are in there as well. It's going to take quite a lot of planning to get in there,"

"Then let's not waste any time! The faster we get out of here the better… maybe no one has to die this time!" Miyaki said excitedly.

"Don't get your hopes too high Kiki… I'm afraid to say it, but I'm certain someone among us is already planning murder. Hostages are exempt from this, but if they want to get free, I'm certain they'll go to extremes." Ren said, in a serious voice. "I would keep an eye on your father, he seemed rather agitated when Dylan was nearby."

"There's a lot of people we should keep an eye on. Especially that Lars fellow, I don't like him… Rei said he saw him do something really messed up in the woods, but she refused to go into detail about it," Mallory said. Miyaki nodded, a frown on her face.

"That's a worrying thought… I'll speak to Diego and Daisuke about it, I don't like the guy either… there's a possibility he's already acting, but on this ship, I doubt there's a good way to murder someone. Then again…" she paused, thinking back on Isabella's murder. "I might be surprised. Let's just focus on something else… I've been wanting to catch up with all of you, even if you are dead… will you indulge me that? Just for the night?"

"Sure thing Kiki! I would love to catch up!" Ren said happily.

"Me too! You were given a First Class Stateroom weren't you? Can we have a sleepover? I've never had one," Mallory said.

"That's not a bad idea actually, it's been awhile since we've spent time together. It would also give us time to plan things out," Giselly said, earning a nod from Miyaki, who gave her a brilliant smile.

"Yeah! Let's have a sleepover! But Ren better keep it in his pants, just because he's staying with 3 beautiful girls, doesn't mean he can fulfill his wildest dreams with us!"

"Wah…?" the boy said, in his best Waluigi impression.

"Who knows… two of us are dead, this might be the first and only time for us to get laid… what do you say Mallory? You want to give Ren some nookie?"

"OBJECTION!"

"Hehehe… sure… I mean, we are dead right, so why not?" the Gardener said. Ren became a blubbering mess, falling to the ground with blood leaking from his nose.

"You guys, you ended up breaking him!"

"All according to plan Kiki… let's go, we need to gather our things anyway," Giselly said, turning towards the exit. Miyaki sighed angrily to herself.

* * *

**Location: First Class Stateroom (B-52, B-Deck)**

**Time: 12:00 AM**

**Date: April 12th, 1912**

"Thanks for bunking with me Alice. With everything that's happening, I didn't want to be alone… especially now that we are all so vulnerable," Nyx said, frowning slightly. The Veterinarian gave her a smile, pouring them a cup of tea.

"It's no trouble at all Nyx. In all honesty, I'm glad that you asked for this. Even if a few of us have adjacent rooms, I'd rather take the safe route. I wouldn't want to wake up with a knife in my gut… well… I wouldn't exactly be awake, rather I'd be lying in a pool of my own blood, marinating in my own-" the woman paused, noticing the wide eyed look on the ravenette's face. She cleared her throat. "Sorry, I may have gotten a tad carried away there."

Nyx didn't say anything, rather she was more focused on the room itself. It was absolutely beautiful, with dark oak paneling that tied the whole room together. The entire room had a plush carpet that was soft to the touch. Small lamps were placed around the room with the cutest of lamp shades. The bed was a king size, with a canopy above them. Alice had claimed it as her own, though that's what her ticket entitled her too. Her suite also came with a private promenade deck. The two had wanted to go out, but it was far too cold for them to stay out for too long.

"You know… it's a bit odd seeing you in this body." Alice said, as she took a sip from her tea. The soft scene of Lemongrass served to calm her down a bit. "You look drastically different… I thought you were a halfling?"

The ravenette looked at her body again. This was who she truly was… she wasn't a lithe alien beauty like in the real world. She wasn't a halfling, and she hadn't been in an FBI facility. She was just a weak girl who had a knack for telling tall tales. Her lacy nightgown barely hung on her frail body, and looked more like an oversized shirt than anything. In contrast, Alice was able to fill hers well, despite being the shortest among them, she somehow managed to beat every girl in the bust and hips department. The girl tucked her legs in, settling deeper into the bed.

"That was just a lie Alice," Nyx said, after a few awkward moments of silence. "Up until I woke up on Hora Island, I was a very sick girl,"

"H-how sick?" the blonde asked curiously. The frail girl shuffled for a moment, shakily taking her tea cup. After taking a long drink from it, she relaxed a bit more.

"The truth is, I had AIDS. My mother fell on rough times… very rough times. She ended up falling in love with a man on the streets who got her addicted to heroin. She became addicted and slept around a lot. She was perfectly healthy when she was pregnant with me… however, she made a mistake. She shared a needle with someone who had HIV. And as you know… that spreads quite fast," the girl explained, sighing. She had a forlorn look on her face, eyes narrowed slightly. "Mom didn't take care of herself to well.. Somehow, I was born perfectly healthy. But by this point, mom's sickness had evolved into AIDS. The doctors said I was most likely infected through breast milk."

Alice swallowed the lump in her throat, setting her cup down. She sat down next to the girl, wrapping an arm around her. Nyx settled into her side, resting her face against one of her breasts. The Veterinarian took a hold of her hand, giving it a light squeeze. Nyx, despite being distraught, continued talking.

"It was manageable at first. But as I grew things became more and more expensive. It wasn't long before my mother died. She ended up succumbing to her illness. It wasn't even the AIDS that killed her… it was the damn drugs." she said softly. She sniffled a bit, but pressed on. "At the age of five had to take these fat horse pills. 9 of them, 3 times a day. It was god awful, but they kept it under control, so I dealt with it. It was at this time that I started writing."

"So the whole halfling idea was a story?" Alice asked, earning a nod from Nyx. "Wow… that's very impressive."

"Mhmm… it's what's seen in the shadows that is misunderstood in the mind of a child," Nyx said, tightening her hold on Alice's waist. "I saw this scary monster reflected on a curtain once. I thought it was an alien… I was convinced it was there to abduct me. But my nurse came in and told me it was just a simple shadow. I ended up giggling at the whole thing, and that's when an idea came to my mind." she said, smiling. "Even if I'm stuck in a bed, and can't go anywhere, that doesn't mean I can't become something else… that's where the idea of Nyx Flurry Layla, the Ultimate Halfling came from,"

She paused to take a sip of her tea, draining the cup of its contents. Alice briefly let go, in order to refill her cup. "You remind me a lot of myself at that age. I didn't exactly have the easiest life growing up. My older brother Nicolas made things hard for me… I don't remember what happened to our parents. What I do recall is that I ended up joining a Militia. A group called Fenrir… despite me getting their tattoo on my hand, it's strangely absent on my skin," she said, looking at the back of her hand. "Then again, this is a simulation… it may not translate here,"

"That's probably it… I don't think scars would be part of the game, or tattoos for that matter. Or else the one I have on my naval would have followed me here,"

"What does it mean? I saw it briefly on the outside, but I never got to ask. It looks like a donut to be honest. Though that was probably my stomach talking, I haven't had one of those in quite a long time," Alice said, sweeping her hair behind her shoulder. Nyx giggled, accepting her refilled tea cup.

"It's a silly drawing that me and my nurse friend came up with. It was part of the lore of my 'people' if you will. The females that are born into nobility end up getting that tattoo early in life, to symbolize them being part of the royal family. We are actually full adults at the age of thirteen and can wed and have children as well." Nyx said, a pensive look on her face. "Though now that I think about it, I think I should change that part, for reasons,"

"Perhaps… still the detail in this is uncanny. I wish to know more about your story… both of them, if you don't mind my asking." the strawberry blonde said, earning a nod from Nyx.

"Sure… I wouldn't mind. I guess we can begin with my name. Nyx Flurry Layla isn't my real name… in fact, the only name that I came up with was Flurry. Layla was my mother's name… I wanted to have her close to my heart, so I took her name as my surname. My nurse's name was Nyx. She told me that it meant night… we used to spend a lot of time looking at the stars at night… Nyx was my best friend. Even after she was transferred to another hospital, she kept helping me write my story to make me feel better,"

"That's beautiful… taking the names of those close to you and turning them into your own. You are a very brave girl Nyx."

"Thank you Alice… this was the only thing I had to help me cope with my emotions, you know? Besides, Nyx sounds better than Raven. I never really cared for my real name. It made me feel like I was a bird trapped in a cage. I was never trapped. I could be as free as anyone else." Nyx replied, giggling. "Nyx is a lot cuter in my opinion. Besides no one likes Robin, Batman is the better of the two anyway,"

"Oh, you and I are going to be the best of friends, I can already tell!" Alice chirped, a grin on her face. Nyx smiled, hugging the girl tightly.

"Thanks Alice, for listening to me and keeping me company. It means a lot to me,"

"Sure… we all need a friend. What else do you want to talk about?" she asked, a pensive look on her face. "I honestly don't want to talk about the killing game, I never thought I'd be part of another one."

"I don't either. We can talk about anything really… like your cute eyes! I've never met someone with different colored eyes before!"

"Huh… I beg your pardon? What do you mean by that?" Alice asked, confusion written on her face. Nyx hopped off the bed, walking toward the dresser. She grabbed a hand mirror, holding it out to the girl. She looked herself over, seeing her eyes for the first time.

"See… one of them is green and the other is yellow. Why is that?"

"I… wouldn't be able to tell you really," she said softly, placing a hand on her cheek. "J-Jibo experimented on us while we were in space… maybe this is a result of that. I'm not sure… can we talk about something else?" the woman asked, feeling her heartbeat quicken. Nyx felt her anxiety, and gave her a nod.

"Fine… let's talk about boys! Do you have anyone in mind? Because there are a few here that are really cute."

"Hmm… well Ethan is quite handsome, I will admit. But he isn't my cup of tea, I don't particularly like his attitude. Besides, after what happened with my previous love… I doubt I'll love again,"

"Aw Alice, don't say that.. I know it's tough but we gotta move on. I guess I can talk about who I would want to date. I kinda have a thing for Dais, he's really nice and has a good looking body. There are times where I imagine what his… you know what looks like." she said with a flush. Alice gasped, hand flying to her mouth.

"Nyx you heathen! How dare you have impure thoughts like that?!"

"I know, I know! But he's so handsome, not to mention he's one of the few that are tall on this island. I try not to imagine it, but I wouldn't mind if he bent me over a table and took me as his own. Even thinking about it now makes my heart race," she said, shuddering a bit. "His hands running over my body, his gentle kisses trailing down my collar. His hands kneading my breasts, slowly traveling down to my…."

"La La La La La! I can't hear you! Nope, nosirree Bob!" Alice shouted, plugging her ears, much to Nyx's chagrin. The girl's smile broke before she started laughing, falling back into the mattress. Alice followed suit, both laughing loudly. It was loud enough to warrant the attention of a few stewards who were doing their nightly rounds. Whatever the case was, the two girls were on the road to becoming best friends.

* * *

**Location: Forward Well-Deck: Bow (C-Deck)**

**Time: 12:40 AM**

**Date: April 12th, 1912**

Diego sighed as he paced around the Well-Deck. A few 3rd class passengers were out, enjoying the night breeze and having a quick smoke. The young man looked up at the crows nest, seeing the lookouts, both having a conversation while keeping their eyes trained ahead. The night was beautiful, with millions of tiny stars being visible all throughout the inky blackness. It was a truly marvelous view. But despite that, Diego couldn't help but be wary.

Ever since he had entered the Neo World Program, he hadn't felt… alone. Not in a sense as if he was alone with no other people. But alone with his thoughts. It was as if there was something or someone inside his own body. But he wasn't exactly sure what it was. He had first felt it when he had spent time with Shiro. Something in him wanted to explode outward, but he held it back. He was able to keep what feeling at bay, but he was beginning to worry. Would he be able to hold it back the next time? Or would something else happen.

Admittedly, without knowledge of what Jibo had done to him, he couldn't say for sure. He did find it odd that he was the only one without a confirmed talent. He was one hundred percent sure the Biologist did something. A shiver rocked his body as he climbed the stairs that would lead toward the bow. The very front part of the ship. It was one of the most iconic parts, due to the scene in the movie featuring Jack and Rose. it was quite dark here, but he could still see perfectly, almost as if he had been given night vision… or because there was something else using said trait.

"_Calm down Diego. Everything is going to be fine, this motive is just stressing you out. Things are going to be okay." _he thought to himself, as he reached the bow. He grabbed onto one of the tables, holding the mast in place. He glanced over the railing, seeing the water being split by the hulking ship. He smiled brightly. "What a magnificent sight… I surely wouldn't have seen something like this if I had stayed at home,"

"_Do not get comfortable here!"_

"What… what the fuck? Who the hell said that?" Diego cried, looking around frantically. His eyes were wided, and he was hyperventilating. He heard a chuckle deep in his mind.

"_I've been here the entire time boy. I've just been… dormant,"_

"Dormant?" he mumbled. He sighed, gripping the cable beside him tightly. "This was Jibo's doing isn't it? He placed someone else in my body,"

"_Something like that. I am an entity that has existed for quite awhile. Some people know me as the Stranger, however you may refer to me as Prince of Dim Carcosa. I suppose it's a pleasure to meet you," _the man said, causing Diego even more confusion.

"Why are you here? Why did Jibo put you in my body?"

"_To preserve me… the man was enthralled with eldritch abominations. Apparently, I was someone who had piqued his interest. In order to save my from that blasted foundation, he placed me within your body. Whatever the case may be, just know that I do not mean you any harm, in fact I wish for you to survive."_

"I see… why is that? Because if something happens to me, you'll take over my body? That's probably want you want huh?" Diego said softly. He looked ahead into the ocean. "That's how you demons work. You take over someone and use their body to host you, and then when they die, you keep on going like it's nothing!"

"_Don't you dare insult me boy. The fact that I am willing to let your consciousness live is a testament to how much I respect you. You are just like me my friend… the two of us seek to reconnect with our loved ones."_

"Loved ones? You've lost people too?" the man asked curiously. He heard the prince chuckling in his mind.

"_Of course not. In fact, my relatives are far closer than you believe. The young woman you call Alejandra, happens to be the reincarnation of my beautiful younger sister Camilla."_

"You've lost your mind, Alejandra is not your sister!"

"_If that is what you believe. I assure you, Camilla is indeed my sister, and I intend to see her again. I however seem to be powerless for now, so I shall remain dormant. Do not disappoint me," _The Stranger said, finally going silent. Diego slammed his fist against the cable, growling angrily.

"Chinga tu puta madre, ojete de mierda." he swore, directing the comment to the Stranger, who chuckled but said nothing.

"Diego?"

The boy jolted a bit, almost falling to the ground from surprise. He grabbed a hold of the mast wire, turning around to face the one who had called out to him. The Ultimate Dryad had come looking for him. It was odd, seeing her as a human. Her skin was no longer green, instead it was a dark chocolate brown, contrasting his own lighter colored complexion. Her dark green hair was a flowing black, falling gently past her shoulders. She looked a bit malnourished, but her green dress hid it perfectly. The reflection of the ships' light on her vibrant eyes lit up her entire face, giving her an almost surreal look. She was gorgeous. He found himself looking at her, for far longer than he intended. He quickly looked away, thankful that it was dark enough for his blush to be hidden.

"Dalila! What erm… what brings you out here on this fine April night?" he asked. The girl couldn't help but giggle, her mirth written on her face.

"I could ask you the same question. I noticed you on your own from the Promenade. You seem to have a lot on your mind. I could leave if you want."

"NO! No. P-please, you don't have to go. I'd actually like some company," the Mexican boy said. He stepped away from the bow, joining the girl down by the anchor chain. "What would you like to do?"

"I dunno… maybe take a walk around the boat deck? It is getting pretty late… perhaps we should go back to our cabins after our walk?" she asked, earning a nod from the man. They started heading back towards the Promenade.

A few minutes of silence passed, with nothing shared between the two. Diego didn't know what to talk about. Despite being raised with a sister, he didn't exactly know how to interact with women. Often times, his father had taught him to hit on the ladies and lay out the Garcia Family Charm. That oftentimes ended with him getting slapped or worse. This was the first time he was alone with a woman and he hadn't messed it up.

"The stars are amazing aren't they? They're like little lantern lighting up the darkness of space,"

"That's an interesting way to look at it," the man said softly, not taking his eyes off the sky. "I remember, me and my sister used to tell each other ghost stories at night. There was this hill behind our house that was far back from the village. We could see the night sky for as far as the eye could see." Diego said, pausing mid stride, as he focused on one of the swirling masses of stars. "Right there, that large arm is part of the Milky Way Galaxy. We wouldn't be able to see that in a city,"

"Wow, you're right. The last time I saw this was back home in Kenya… it was the last time I saw my siblings." Dalila said, a frown appearing on her face. "I'm worried about them. My mother is very sick, and getting food is already hard for us. It's one of the reasons why I wanted to become an Ultimate Farmer. I wanted to take my knowledge and grow crops for my country,"

"A noble gesture for sure… but Jibo took that desire and twisted it. He's turned you into something you are not,"

"Hmm… I don't look at it that way. Sure, he didn't turn me into a farmer, but as a dryad, I can control nature itself. I can still use those powers to bring food to my people. I just hope they're doing fine." she said, a look of worry on her face. Diego took a hold of her hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"I'm certain your siblings are fine. Your mother is most likely doing fine as well… I'm sure she's waiting for you to come home. Just like my father and grandfather are waiting for me and Alejandra."

They remained quiet, resuming their walk. Dalila didn't have anything to say, despite how calm she was, she was very nervous. She was trying her hardest to keep herself from shaking. She was glad that Diego had agreed to this walk. It was definitely what she needed to calm down. She stole a glance at him, a small smile appearing on her face. A memory flashed into her mind, causing her to turn away. Diego felt her mood shift, and stopped walking, turning to face her.

"What's wrong Lila? You seemed content a second ago, but now you seem disappointed."

"I'm sorry… I just remembered something I was hoping to forget."

"O-oh. Do you want to talk about it?" the Mexican man asked. She hastily shook her head, changing the conversation.

"The skies are so vast an endless aren't they? The members of Ultimate Despair think their masters of the universe, they nothing more than dust in God's eyes," the dryad said, almost jokingly. Diego chuckled, leaning against the railing. His eyes drifted towards the nearby sign, thad read 1st Class Entrance. He hadn't even noticed they had arrived there.

"We're not like them you know. The ones left behind are the ones that will rebuild the world… Ultimate Despair can destroy it, and they can hide from it, but hope is inevitable." the man said, earning a nod from the woman. She leaned against the railing, her vibrant eyes focused on the sky. She gasped, seeing a streak cutting through it.

"A shooting star! Did you see it?" she asked excitedly.

"Mhmm, and it was a long one." he said, lowering his gaze. His eyes focused on Dalila, seeing the far off look on her face, and the serene smile on her face. "You know, my pops used to tell me, that every time you saw one, it was a soul going up to heaven."

"I like that." Dalila replied with a smile. She tilted her head slightly, parting just enough to reveal the ghastly burn mark encompassing her entire left eye. He wanted to ask her about it but didn't want to seem rude. "Aren't we supposed to wish on it?"

"Why?" the boy asked, confused. "What would you wish for?"

Dalila remained silent at his confusion. She just stared straight into his eyes, she wanted to say something but she couldn't grasp it. The words were fleeting, stuck in her throat despite being on the tip of her tongue. She didn't know why she felt this way, or why she had even asked that question. In the end, she firmly replied.

"Something I can't have,"

The silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Diego reached out to her but she moved away. She brushed past him, heading towards the First Class entry, opening the door. The soft music from the Lounge filled the Promenade for just a second before it closed. Diego stood dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what had just happened. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing a deckhand swabbing the area around one of the lifeboats. He briefly looked up, an almost apologetic look before he continued mopping. The Mexican boy remained silent, with nothing but the stars as his company.

* * *

_**xxx(End of Act 7)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 23**

**Ghost Peeps: 11**

**Hostages: 7**

* * *

**A/N: I did it again you guys… I ended up writing far more than I had intended. Without the authors note, this chapter ended up being over 11,300 words. I usually cap them at 8 thousand, but I keep getting far too into my writing. There was so much emotion in this chapter, that at times I was left flabbergasted. I've been writing Act 7 on and off since Friday, and I had a lot more planned for it, but two whole scenes ended up having to get cut and placed in Act 8. I want this Chapter to be an even 10 acts, but how it's going, it might go two over the threshold. **

**At first, I was nervous with this… the prospect of writing something that took place on the Titanic was almost foreign to me. I know for the longest time, I've wanted to write something related to it. Be it an original work, or something fanfiction related. I'm knowledgeable about this ship, so much so that you could call me an enthusiast. The ship of dreams is a place I've yearned to visit. and being able to write about it, for Danganronpa of all things… it's a surreal experience. That's why I end up writing too much. A part of me blames the switch to Docs, but the rational part of me is telling me not to quit, because I want to make the most of this setting as I can.**

**Yes, I've watched the movie 720 times and counting, and I've watched every documentary, read every book and seen every deck plan, blueprint, picture, painting, you name it, I've seen it. I once bid my own money just so I could get a lump of coal from this very ship, and in hindsight, that would have been a waste of money. I guess it's veiled in this romanticism that I just can't fathom… it's hard to describe really. Most of you probably think this is a turn off or something that's so out there that it doesn't have anything to do with Hora Island, but it does. It's following a very interesting theme that I will be touching upon later on, in due time of course.**

**This got strangely personal for some reason… right. I want to say, thank you all for reading this story. It means a lot to me that you are. The Hora Trilogy means so much to me and I want to make Isle of the Damned as great as I can, to the best of my ability. I would like to thank my friends for their support, especially Crit Fail who's the one that greenlit this, thanks man. Without you, I don't think I could have written anything Titanic related lol.**

**Oasis is back baby! And it's gonna be better than ever. If you haven't read the latest chapter, what are you doing? Get out there and read it! Shoutout to my friend and fellow writer, Superguy559, who is starting his own spin off for Legacy of Despair, titled, Black Gold-Black Hearts. If you'd like to submit to him, please do so! Show him some support, he definitely needs it.**

**That about wraps it up for this chapter. With this Authors note, I've made it insanely long so… sorry for that! Act 8 is already two scenes in the works, the two that were cut from this one haha. Expect that in the coming days… See ya later guys! Peace out!**


	23. C2 Act 8: The Ship of Dreams

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 8

The Ship of Dreams

_**xxx**_

**Location: First Class Reading and Writing Room (A-Deck)**

**Time: 11:30 AM**

**Date: April 12th, 1912**

"Aw, Miss Nico you have to stop guessing what cards I have!" Seisha cried, causing the former Guesser to blush. She tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, pushing her glasses slightly.

"I'm sorry Seisha. I'm honestly trying not to… it's very hard to curve my tongue when you don't have the best poker face." she replied. She placed her cards on the table, causing the others to groan.

"Royal Flush again? God, why am I even playing this shit? It's as if I'm playing against the Ultimate Gambler herself," Hikaru said, clearly annoyed.

"This is worse than the Pachinko machines they have in Jimbocho. I don't think I could ever win against someone like Nico." Miya added, grabbing all of the cards. She reshuffled them, passing cards to the others.

"I used to be really good at poker. Me and a few of my Cosplay buddies used to play it a lot when we were waiting for our favorite stores to open. The hustle and bustle of Akihabara on Sunday is something I dearly miss. Walking around Electric Town, going to Radio Kaikan and all of the other shops for rare games. It truly was the best part of living there," Tsumugi said, a smile on her face.

"Big sis… what led you to become an Ultimate Despair?"

Tsumugi stiffened a bit at the question. She shifted her gaze towards Seisha, who had an expectant look on his face. Hikaru didn't really know what to say, but he himself was curious about those events as well. Miya said nothing, continuing to pass the cards around until everyone had been dealt their hands.

"Seisha, perhaps you shouldn't press her for answers."

"Why not Miss Nico? My father told me once, that despair was like a plague. He said that it spread far too fast, infecting the populous far faster than even the Black Death. He said that those that survive it become a stronger race of humans. I'm just curious is all," the boy replied, looking at his cards. He smiled a bit, seeing a pair of Aces in his grasp.

"I don't particularly remember how it was that I became an Ultimate Despair. Junko never seemed the type to show any… insane tendencies. One thing she did have was charisma. She was able to swoon people with her speech and her mannerisms. She had the ability to look a person in the eye and figure out their likes, dislikes and other hobbies. I guess she figured out what I liked and used that information against me,"

"So she broke you?" Miya asked, furrowing her brows. "That falls in line with some of the testimonies from the Hope's Peak survivors. Those that got their memories back, recalled her being overly charismatic. Like she wanted to be a part of your life in a more personal level than anyone else in your circle,"

"She did the same thing to Hiyoko… you know, I vaguely remember her. I'm not sure if my memories are all intact but… I do think we toured the campus before the Tragedy. Right Nico?" Hikaru asked, earning a nod from the gray haired girl.

"We did… we were with Class 80-B. Hiyoko was dancing in the music hall on the 4th floor. I remember Junko was there cheering her on. The too got abnormally close." she said, glancing at her own cards. "My guess, she was most likely already making plans. We were all fools… she was doing this under our noses. She managed to sweet talk herself into high places, and that was what ended the world."

"You couldn't have predicted what would have happened." Evan said, finally speaking. He had been silently reading a book, one that dealt with various mythologies from around the world. "None of us could have predicted what would have happened. We were just kids after all… even now, there are people suffering the consequences of the tragedy,"

"Blaming yourself for something that was out of your control is dumb. The only things that are in your control are your life and your choices. Don't worry about it! The world is beginning to calm down, I'm sure things will be just fine!" the Missing Persons Investigator said, flipping one of the cards over. "Alright fellas, make your bets!"

"I fold," Mackenzie said, placing her cards down beside her. Her eyes had been focused on the windows for the longest time. She had been too busy in her own thoughts to even pay attention to the game.

"Kenzie… is something the matter?" Tsumugi asked, earning a sigh from the painter. Her gaze shifted away from the windows, instead moving toward the nearby paintings. She had been admiring them for quite a long time. Her new talent with painting had been inspiring her to sketch some out in her mind.

"I told Daisuke I loved him last night and he rejected me,"

Nico spat her drink out, all over the table. The liquid bathed not just the cards but the book that Evan was reading. The former Mythologist said nothing as he reached for some napkins, wiping his hand and face from her spit. "You did what?"

"Mackenzie are you serious?" Hikaru asked, earning a nod from the girl.

"Wow… I didn't think you had it in you girl! Matter of fact… where did this attraction even come from? You called him big bro for awhile-Oh! You have a Brother Complex!"

"What? I do not have a brother complex! What the fuck Miya?!" she cried angrily. Her anger subsided, and she returned to her more melancholy state. "I… ended up falling for him because of what he did for me. He saved my life, and protected me. I guess I saw him in a different light after a while. He's such an awesome person… but upon reflection, I think it was just lust,"

"The p-painter was struck with lust? My g-guess is that she's already d-drawing pervy pictures." Nico said, a flush on her face. "I can already imagine what must be coursing through your mind. His hands on your supple body, rubbing you all over, touching your-"

"Hey, there's a kid here! Come on Nikki, sheesh!" Evan cried out, as he uncovered Seisha's ears. Despite his avatar looking fourteen, the man had noticed he acted far younger than he seemed.

"It isn't like that you pervert! I just liked him for him… for being strong, and kind and awesome." Mackenzie said firmly. "Sure he's pretty hot, but you can't just keep treating him like eye candy,"

"Honestly… I will admit, he's quite the looker. But he seems a bit distracted with other things. Namely, getting over his fiancee," the Ultimate Cosplayer said, setting her cards down. It was far too late to return to their game.

"Seriously, why do people think he's that attractive? He's really not. In fact he's a painfully average person. Sure he's got a lean build but that's it." Hikaru said, almost jealously. "I have no idea why you girls like him so fucking much,"

"You wouldn't understand because you are already in love with Rei." Miya said, brushing him off. "Besides, have you heard his stories? That's my personal brand of ASMR. I would love to sleep on a pillow of his voice,"

"I wouldn't mind hearing him narrate a sexual encounter." Nico said, her blush growing darker. "My guess, he'd probably have me squirting three seconds in,"

"I'm leaving. Come on Seisha, let's leave these perverts to their own devices." Evan said, standing up from his seat. The boy nodded, pausing briefly to look at the older man.

"Mister Evan… what's squirting? Do girls do it a lot? Can I learn to squirt too?"

"NO! There will be no squirting here tonight!" the mythologist cried, as he dragged the younger boy out to the Promenade Deck.

* * *

**Location: First Class Smoking Room**

**Time: 12:45 AM **

**Date: April 12th, 1912**

The first class Smoking Room was located on the aft part of A-Deck, accessible from the Aft-Grand Staircase. Unlike the version on the forward part of the ship, this staircase was smaller, and connected 3 decks together. Despite it being smaller, it was just as grand as the forward staircase.

The Smoking Room was thought by some to be the grandest part of the ship. It was decorated with dark mahogany good, the support pillars holding the roof up had intricate carvings on it, giving it a beautiful flare. Parts of the wood were inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl patterns, along with red and blue lino tiles. It featured stained glass windows that were illuminated by lights hidden beneath the panels. At the center of the room was a marble coal burning fireplace, which wasn't in use at the moment. The carpeting was plush and colorful, matching the same style as the First Class lounge, and the chairs and tables had been expertly placed around the room. The ambience was calm and friendly. The smoke of the finest cigars lingered in the room, being absorbed by the ventilation system and being carried out the Number 4 funnel.

Despite this being a male only area, some women were allowed to enter the room, though only First Class passengers. Thankfully, Miyaki had been able to sneak Giselly into the smoking room by letting her borrow a dress. Diego, Daisuke, Ethan and Ashton were all there, unwinding from everything that had been happening, it was the perfect time for the blonde to speak with them.

"You know, ladies aren't allowed in the smoking room. It's a rough and tough place for dudes that like to drink and be merry," Ashton said, puffing his cigar.

"Oh, put a sock in it you. What was it that you wanted to talk about? You seemed rather intent on meeting with us today," Diego said, glancing at the two ladies. Miyaki was about to speak, but Giselly took the floor, placing a folded piece of paper on the tabletop.

"I might not know you well enough, but I do know enough about you to know that you want to escape this place with your lives. Miyaki and I, along with Ren and Mallory, have been making plans to escape this simulation before making it to New York."

"We theorize that it might be a time limit of sorts. If this ship makes it there, we might all lose touch with reality. We've already seen how it's affecting some of the others." the circus performer said, frowning. "My father lost all touch with it, I spoke with him this morning and he kept talking about our new lives in Michigan."

"He's not the only one… last night I had a run in with Mackenzie. She was acting very odd, to say the least." Daisuke said, finishing his drink. "Suffice it to say, she ended up confessing her feelings to me, kissing me and causing Charlotte to scamper off. Now I've got to explain things to her and I am seriously not looking forward to that,"

"Pfft… having girl troubles Del Rio? What's wrong? I thought you enjoyed the female attention?" the treant said, causing the man to quirk a brow.

"I do enjoy female attention. I like nice and gentle girls too… unlike you who seems to enjoy the beating Mariana gives you."

"Hey, fuck you asshole!"

"Gentlemen please… we've got much more pressing matters to attend to," Diego said, rolling his eyes. "Tell me Giselly, what is this plan that you have been concocting?" the Mexican boy said, finishing his whiskey.

"Well… I've been reviewing these blueprints, since the day we arrived on this ship. It wasn't easy to procure them, believe me. Thomas Andrews locks his room far too often for my tastes. Regardless of that, we've made an interesting discovery." she said, pointing to a spot on the plans. "Right here is the Marconi Room. Normally this place is used to transmit messages to other passenger liners and various ports across the Atlantic. However, this room is unique for another reason,"

"Giselly discovered a System Console there. She thinks she can hack into the Neo World Program locally and initiate a shutdown." Miyaki added, earning curious looks from the men.

"Are you sure about this?" Ethan asked, a worried look on his face. "If we mess with too many things on the ship, we might attract outside attention,"

"I'm not sure about that Ethan. Unless we talk about previous games, Surrashakuma won't pop up. In fact, she's only popped up once according to my mother," Daisuke said. Miyaki cleared her throat, gaining his attention. She pulled on the white glove that covered her left hand, holding it out for them to see.

"What the hell happened to you?" the treant asked, his eyes focused on the A that rested on her skin.

"Surrshakuma gave me a warning last night. She doesn't want anyone talking about the previous killing games. Though if anything, I believe only the Horizon and Lunar games are subject to this. Then again, we spoke about them after she had left anything happened. It's almost as if they don't want certain details to be touched upon," the blonde said. Daisuke traced the letter on her hand, a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry this happened to you Kiki. We'll get out of this, and we will bring everyone involved to Justice. They deserve it for all of the horrible shit they're putting us through,"

"I've got a question," Ethan said, gaining the ladies' attention. "How do you know you can actually hack this thing? Especially from the inside?"

"Heh… don't underestimate me or my abilities. I got accepted into Hope's Peak Academy for hacking into this very system. The OS is still the same, I'm willing to bet. If that's the case then the UI will be easy to access. With the right credentials, you'll be able to access the system command. You can terminate this program easily. Provided we can get into the Marconi Room of course,"

"So this all hinges on our ability to get the operators out of the room. Not only that, have you thought about how we're going to even get to the Officers Quarters? Passengers aren't allowed on the forward deck near the bridge." Ashton said, puffing his cigar. "I don't know about you, but I don't intend on climbing the Wheelhouse Roof just so I can potentially sneak in side,"

"We don't have to," Miyaki said, placing her first class ticket on the table. She pointed to something that was listed on it. "Right here, all first class passengers are encouraged to join the Titanic Tour, held between the hours of Midday and Three o'clock PM. That is our way in… I'm certain they'll let us into the Bridge, one of us sneaks away, lures the Marconi Operators out of the room, badda bing, badda boom. We get out!"

"I see, I see! This is very interesting… you've thought of everything, haven't you?" Diego said, earning a nod from the blonde.

"It's thanks to her that I was able to get this far. I have a Third Class ticket, so that tour is nigh-impossible for me. Thankfully, the NPCs believe I'm part of them, so long as I dress like them," Giselly replied.

"Then that's our way in. We can plan this out for tomorrow… the tour has already started today, so if we join late they might suspect something," Daisuke said, pointing to the nearby clock, which read 12:58 PM.

"Perfect. However, we have something else we wanna discuss," the circus performer said, becoming serious. "Last night, Ren and Mallory were talking about something Rei had spoken of. Apparently, she saw Lars doing something rather questionable."

"Questionable? Define Questionable sweetie, that fucker has done a shitload of questionable things," Ashton said, putting out the last of his cigar. He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "Honestly, I'm surprised he's still alive. I know I can be a dickhead but that guy takes it to a whole new level,"

"It's a lot worse than you think it is. Rei was pretty scared talking about this, and for someone who's dead, that's saying a lot. There isn't many things that can make a ghost scared. However, she mentioned this thing being the scariest thing she had ever witnessed," Giselly said, her gaze shifting around the room. "I'm starting to think, maybe that man managed to actually summon a demon,"

"Lars… actually summoning a demon? Are you sure about that?" Ethan asked, an incredulous look on his face.

"I wouldn't put it past him, if I'm being honest," Ashton mumbled, sighing. "During the first class trial, Charlotte mentioned him doing some sort of ritual. I'm willing to bet he did it again, only this time he succeeded,"

"He did show up with a woman and claimed it was his sister. However don't exactly have proof that's the case. She might be a victim of Jibo's."

"Then why isn't she in this game with us Dais? If that's the case, wouldn't she be here with us?" Miyaki queried, a firm look on her face. "I'm certain there's something up with that lady, victim or not."

"We should also talk about Dylan. He seemed rather angry earlier today. I'm not sure why, but he was turning the place over. In fact, I'm sure the Master-At-Arms was called at one point. That certainly cannot be good for any of us,"

"He's probably looking for those golden tickets. I haven't been tempted by them, because I know that will just cause a stir among us all. The last thing we want is for this to escalate because of them." Diego said, rubbing her eyes. "Of course, if he's acting like this I'm willing to bet he already found a ticket. Someone must have stolen it or he lost it, that's why he's turning up the place,"

"We should be wary about him then. He's done a lot of awful things and we can't let him get too close to us." Daisuke said, turning to Miyaki. "I think we should stick together Kiki, he might try to kill you again,"

"Heh… he can try. I'm not letting my best friend die at his hands, not for a second time. I've got her ass covered Daisuke. You focus on the important things," Giselly said, ignoring the glare Miyaki gave her. "Like talking to Charlotte about your mishap with Mackenzie last night,"

"What… how the fuck do you know about that?" the man exclaimed, losing his cool for a brief second. A few other men looked at him, and he cleared his throat. "Seriously… we're you following me?"

"I was on the First Class Promenade above the Poop Deck when you two had your meeting. It was hilarious seeing a girl tinier than you, practically force you to kiss her. I think a part of you liked it," the ravenette said teasingly.

"Fuck you Gis." the storyteller snapped in annoyance. His eyes widened after a second. "Hey wait a minute! I remember now, you fucking leaked my Darkest Sexual Fantasy onto the HPA server when you toured the campus. You fucking bitch, I still need to get you back for that!"

"Pfft… I doubt you will, I'm fucking dead. Whatever the case may be, you are in for a very long, very awkward conversation,"

"Yeah… I should go find her. She's been a real good friend to me these past few days, and I would hate for this to ruin our relationship," the man said as he stood up from his seat. "I'm… actually starting to grow fond of her,"

"Aw… that's so cute! I wish you luck Daisuke… go and get your girl back!" Miyaki said happily, urging the man on. He quirked a brow, giving the girl a wink as he left the Smoking Room.

"I dunno why, but I feel like this ship is starting to screw with people's emotions. Daisuke didn't show any attraction towards Charlotte and now he does?" Ethan asked, causing Miyaki to roll her eyes.

"Actually. He has shown an interest in her… and she saved his life too… those two are definitely perfect for each other! Oh they'll be so cute together, I can't wait for them to confess to each other!"

"Down girl, down… we need to focus on this escape plan… come on, let's iron out these details." Giselly said with a smirk.

* * *

**Location: First Class Heated Pool (F-Deck)**

**Time: 3:00 PM**

**Date: April 13th 1912**

The Titanic, along with her sister ship the Olympic, were among the few to offer a fully heated pool. For a fee of one American Dollar, First Class passengers were allowed to have a swim here. It was located on F-Deck, not far from the Turkish Baths. Since it was Saturday, the women got the use of the pool between the hours of 1PM and 6PM, so the ladies decided it would be the perfect time to take a dip. Of course, it was meant to help them relax due to what was happening, but one of them had something else in mind.

"Canon Ball!" Shiro shouted, jumping into the water from the nearby railing. A loud splash echoed through the pool house. She surfaced a second later, arms above her head, a dumb grin on her face. "Hell yeah! This pool kicks ass!"

"Shiro, would you stop that? The last thing we need is for you to snap your neck," her sister Miyuki said. The sickly girl was sitting at the edge of the pool, in a one piece swimsuit with her feet hanging over the edge. Her hair was tied into a ponytail so it wouldn't get in her way.

"Come on Sis! You never let me have any fun!" Shiro said, glaring at her. The water was to her waist from where she stood. She was wearing a white frilled bikini, showing off her curves and her breasts. Her hair was down to her waist, having come free from its ponytail. "Don't I look cute in this bikini? I wasn't expecting this ship to carry these things. They don't even match the times!"

"That's because Jibo Momota is a fucking pervert. I bet you included this shit on this ship just so he could see us in them," Rei said, leaning back slightly. She was wearing a lime green bikini, with a frilled skirt style bottom. She smiled, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder. "Even if that's the case, there's no way I'm passing this up. Everyone has been bragging about the Titanic's pool. I had to come down here before we disembark in New York."

"Uh… you do know this is all a game right?" Eris asked, earning an odd look from the Violinist. She sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever the case, this is certainly something that we needed. These past couple of days have been stressful. Our meeting with everyone certainly didn't end well."

"Well what did you expect? We have Dylan running around making an ass of himself, screaming at random NPCs and tearing the ship apart. There are others who are losing touch with reality, and some of us are way to into the facilities here!" Ibb said, splashing some water in Shiro's face. The girl sputtered a bit in annoyance.

"You mean like yourself?" Sayaka asked, quirking a brow. "You and Riku have been walking around the ship admiring the art. In fact, I saw the two of you at Cafe Parisian this morning on a date. Care to explain?" the idol queried, a smirk on her face. Ibb flushed, shaking her head.

"That is none of your fucking busines. So keep your goddamn nose outside of it!"

"Damn girl… it was just a question, no need to bite my head off for it,"

"Ibb isn't the only one who's off gallivanting with men," Haruna said, the tiniest of smirks on her face. "I saw Rei going off with Hikaru earlier today, and they were heading towards her suite. Mind explaining that girl?"

"Well what do you think we were doing?" the violinist asked, earning a gasp from the hostess. "I've got a body for the time being, I may as well use it. Me and Hikaru weren't able to go far when we were alive, so we decided to go all the way here. And my god is he good, he had me grasping those bedsheets and screaming in ecstasy. I'm sure people could hear us because several stewards came to our room asking if I was alright,"

"That's nice Rei-chan! I'm glad someone is getting some... " Shiro said, looking disappointed. "The guy I like doesn't know I like him, so I can't seal the deal with him,"

"You shouldn't even be thinking about sex at your age! You shouldn't even be thinking about being in love, or anything else!" Miyuki snapped, glaring at her little sister. "I've told you this a hundred times Shiro. When mom and dad approve, then you can do whatever you want, but as of now you aren't allowed to mess around with anyone,"

"Ugh… you are such a buzzkill sis...just because you can't get laid doesn't mean I shouldn't. Come on… this is the ship of dreams, let me have some fun~"

"I like how you are talking about the rest of us walking around with guys yet neglect to add yourself in." Ibb said, splashing Haruna in the face. She gave a small cry of surprise, tugging on her crimson bikini top. "I saw our Supreme Hostess walking hand in hand with Reukra, all over the Promenade Deck."

"We weren't doing anything wrong. We were just getting to know each other… Reukra has a bit of social anxiety, just like I do. So I felt like holding his hand, you know… to remind him that he isn't walking around alone?" the hostess said, a flush on her cheeks. "There's nothing wrong with that,"

"Yeah sure… first comes love, then comes kiss~" the executioner said, making kissy faces at the girl, who's flush darkened. Her gaze shifted over to Dalila, who had said nothing since arriving at the pool. Charlotte had been the same, a far off look on her face. She placed her hands on her hips, glaring at the two. "Now what the hell is going up with you two? You've hardly said a word since we got here."

"I've got nothing to say Shiro… please just let me be," the siren said, leaning back against the wall. She didn't even know why she had bothered coming down to the pool. She was wearing a rather revealing swimsuit, a light pink bikini with a bandeau top without any straps, along with a matching bikini bottom that tied at the sides. Her lengthy pink locks were tied into a ponytail with her signature white bow. She looked like she didn't want to be there. Sayaka moved toward her, leaning slightly out of the pool as she did.

"What's wrong? You've been really quiet all day.. Normally you'd be asking me questions about being an idol and the like. Did something happen?"

"No… I just don't want to talk about it, that's all,"

"What about you Dalila? Anything you want to share with us?" Eris asked, giving the dryad a look of concern. She sighed, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers.

"I'm not sure I would like to talk about it. This ship is messing with my head, I'm starting to feel things that I never once considered." she said, frowning. "I believe I should go, it was a mistake coming here,"

"Nuh-uh! We're your friends Lila… come on, talk to us. Are you having boy troubles too?" the executioner asked. She reached out to Dalila, taking a hold of her hand. "Please just talk to us, I can tell on your face that you are sad about something,"

"She's right. Talking to your friends might air your woes out… it might help you clear your mind," Sayaka said, encouraging Charlotte to open up as well.

"I'm not sure… I think this ship truly is messing with me. I don't know what it is, but everything is just so hard to wrap my mind around. I sit down at dinner and look around at the other First Class passengers and I feel this sick choking feeling. I want to scream but I find myself unable too." the pinkette said, tucking her legs closer to her body. "It feels like I'm standing at the top of a precipice, screaming at the time of my lungs and no one even looks up. Then when I'm finally free to walk around, I'm surrounded by classist people, talking about talent and how it's needed to further yourself in life. Some lady said that, that women's only purpose for going to university is to find a husband. How conceited is that?"

"Don't pay any attention to them Charlie. They're just NPCs after all… they don't matter in the grand scheme of things," Haruna said, giving her a pat on the shoulder. Charlotte didn't say anything, rather she closed her eyes, puffing out her cheeks. "This… isn't just about talent is it?"

"Charlotte, we've talked about this before." Sayaka said firmly. "You are a beautiful singer. You didn't need talent for your voice to be heard. You just needed practice, and sadly, you didn't get the right advice. Had you gotten the coaching you needed, I'm certain you would have been the next Ultimate Pop Sensation!"

"It's not about being an idol. It's hard to explain, I'm just so tired. I want this ship to reach New York so I can disappear." she softly replied. The girls shared a look, worried glances among them. Haruna grabbed a hold of Charlotte's shoulders, shaking her a bit.

"Charlie listen to me, I have no idea what is going on but I think you are growing delusional." Haruna said firmly. "This ship is fucking with our heads, so stop acting this way. Tell us what's wrong!" she exclaimed, shifting her gaze to Dalila. "You too Lila. Don't just sit there and stew in your own silence. The more delusional we become, the more dangerous this becomes for us!"

"I've got nothing to say… me and Diego were on deck last night. We were getting to know each other. I guess I got into our walk. Our conversation was very awkward," Dalila said, bowing her head slightly. She felt herself growing a bit hot. "I may have said something to him that might have weirded him out. He didn't even look at me during our meeting yesterday,"

"Well… what did you tell him?" Shiro asked, a curious look on her face.

"Sis, maybe we shouldn't pry too much into her affairs. It's clear that she's embarrassed by it all," Miyuki said, causing Shiro to sigh. Dalila however remained silent, pondering her options.

"I've grown rather fond of a few people in our group. Seisha mostly… there's something about him that makes me want to take care of him. I know he's this hulking monster of a fish but-" she paused, gathering her thoughts. "I don't want anything to happen to him. On top of that, I've been thinking about Diego a lot."

"So… this is all about men, gee… what the hell is wrong with all of us today? We're growing so uncomfortably horny." Rei mumbled, as she jumped into the pool. She breached the water, deciding to float on the surface. "That old man truly is a world class pervert,"

"You know… what I gathered from how you two are acting, it's obvious. The two of you are lovestruck idiots entering the puppy love stage. Just tell the men you are attracted to how you feel." Ibb said, crossing her arms in annoyance. "For fuck sakes, beating around the bush does nothing. I should know… I missed out on a long life with the man that I loved when I fell into that painting. Don't waste what little time you might have, especially now of all times,"

"How would I even go about that?" Charlotte asked, becoming a bit angry. "That dumb ass Daisuke… he said all of these sweet things to me. Saying that he was grateful for what I did and how I saved his life. He gave me that big smile of his and took my hand, virtually sweeping me off my feet. Then he goes behind my back and kisses Mackenzie of all people!"

"Whoa what?" Shiro cried, losing her balance on the rail. She hit the water with a tremendous splash, causing Rei to scream in surprise. The executioner breached the surface a second later, coughing loudly. "What… what do ya mean Dais kissed Kenzie?"

"He did! He told me he was going to speak with his mom. I was going to join them, but then I passed by his mom on the promenade. She said some girl was out with her son, and who do I find? Fucking Mackenzie… and they looked really into it!"

"Are you sure you weren't jumping to conclusions?" Sayaka asked curiously. "Daisuke doesn't seem like the type to do something like that. Believe me, I've known him for a long time. Even when he was dating Hiyoko, he was always straightforward with her. When he told her to cut the shit, you best believe that shit was cut."

"Was it cut into logs?" Rei asked curiously. Sayaka just shook her head, she had a look that screamed 'Why' on her face. The violinist slowly let herself sink below the surface of the water, saying nothing as she did.

"Whatever the case may be, this needs to be settled. You have to speak with Daisuke and get this matter settled. I'm sure he likes you back you know," the idol said happily. "He's been through a lot since he lost Hiyoko. He needs someone like you, so he can forget what she did to him,"

"You're right… It might even be a misunderstanding." the siren said, frowning as she placed her face in her hands. "No… I'm such an idiot. He didn't get to talk last night because I ran away from him, he might think I'm weird or something,"

"I'm sure he doesn't think that Charlotte. He probably wants to talk to you too… go on, before it's too late!" Miyuki said with a grin. Charlotte stood up, stretching her arms above her head.

"I will. But I want to spend some time with the girls too! I came down here because I wanted to swim, without sprouting a tail! And I'm gonna do that!" she said excitedly, climbing up to the railing.

"Woo! Hell yeah, you go Charlie! Give this pool hell!" Shiro said happily. Charlotte gave her a brief salute, jumping into the pool. The splash echoed through the entire pool house.

"I think-" Dalila paused, looking at her friends. "I think I'll go talk to Diego. He probably has a lot of questions, and I need to explain a few things to him. I just hope nothing happens, I know this is a killing game, but I don't want anyone else to die."

"Me too Dalila, me too." the idol said, a hopeful look on her face.

* * *

**Location: Parlor Suite (B-68) B-Deck**

**Time: 6:00 PM**

**Date: April 13th, 1912**

"Why do you need me again?" the brunette asked, as the two of us walked down the First Class Promenade. The sun was beginning to set, painting the skies in rich purples and blues. It was truly a magnificent sight. I looked up at her, giving her a firm look.

"I know we don't exactly know each other well. However, I require the assistance of someone who isn't too busy. Not only that, I need someone that doesn't stand out." I replied, pushing against my glasses. "I did some calculations and arrived at you. You seem to blend in quite well, so no one will see you at all,"

"O...kay?" the Pokemon trainer said, clearly confused. I say nothing as we continue walking aft. We move past the number 2 funnel, admiring its sheer size.

"Imagine that. Those funnels are the size of 18-wheel tractor trailers. Three of them circum ventilate the smoke from the boilers while the 4th is for style." I said, a sigh escaping my lips. "The White Star Line didn't skimp out on the details. This ship is lovely, isn't it?"

"I'm not sure." Kanemoto replied, shrugging her shoulders. I'm not that into ships you know? Besides nothing beats the S.S. Anne. Even this stupid ship,"

I rolled my eyes. Some people don't understand how lucky they truly are. The sole fact that we are able to walk around a ship this grand is a testament in and of itself. Sure, we are stuck in the Neo World Program, but this certainly beats being stuck in space.

We reached the first class entrance not long after. Our destination is rather close. A-Deck is once again beginning to fill with first class passengers. The Palm Court is lively as always. Me and Kanemoto slip past with relative ease, heading down to the B-Deck landing. Honor and Glory marks the time as 6:06 PM, the perfect time to strike.

"So, what are we doing here again? Shouldn't we be getting ready for dinner? It's our turn on the Captain's Table."

"Kanna, this is of vital importance. Tell me, do you have any loved ones outside of this ship? This island? This game?" I asked. Her face hardened, and she gave me a nod.

"I do. There's this beautiful girl that I am in love with. She's awesome… she has a nice sense of humor, but is also terribly blunt when she wants to be," she said with a giggle. "Rin is really sweet too. Whenever we're alone together, we play a lot of Pokemon. It's the best pastime we have."

"I see… and by how you speak with her, I'm guessing you are in love with her?" I queried, brushing a strand of hair out of my glasses. Kanemoto gave me a furious nod.

"I adore her. She's the love of my life… I wasn't sure I was in love until our first night together. Until then, I was into boys. Still am really, but Rin is so gentle and cute...trust me, we got ways of having fun!"

I felt my cheeks heating up. It was obvious I was blushing. A few men walked passed us, looking at me in particular. One even smiled and winked at me. I'm sure he got the wrong idea here. "Ahem… I didn't need to know _that_ Kanna. I'd rather you keep that to yourself!"

"Pish posh! I like making my friends get flustered! Who knows, maybe one day some poor sucker will get lucky. The greatest thing a man can achieve is sleeping with a lesbian!" Kanemoto explained matter of factly. She didn't even notice her breasts jiggling. Got those things are huge. "What about you b? Got anyone you like?"

Oh god no… please no. The last thing I want is to talk about my love life. Quick Nico, change the topic. "Boobs!"

"Boobs?" the brunette asked, a look of confusion on her face. "The hell are you mentioning boobs for?"

"Uh… that lady that passed us had an asymmetrical boob job. It uh… _erm _stood out." I said, jabbing my thumb at a woman that passed by us. Kanemoto looked to her. She had stopped in the middle of the hallway, talking to a friend.

"Oh god she does! Her tits are all fucked up, that shit looks like Harambe's grandma's titties."

_"Sweet merciful lord, forgive me for throwing that woman under the bus," _I prayed in my head, hoping the man above would listen.

We turned the corner, finally heading away from the Grand Staircase. The parlor suites lined either side of the corridor and we're among the most expensive on the Titanic. I reached into my pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. The number B-68 was written on it. Kanemoto peered over my shoulder, her eyes looking over the numbers.

"What's that for?"

"You know how Jibo placed some golden tickets aboard this ship?" I asked, earning a nod from the Trainer. "Well, I looked at some blueprints earlier and made a guesstimate. Various suites were left empty, including this one,"

"Someone didn't want this place?" Kanemoto asked. I shook my head, reaching for one of the pins in my braid. It didn't take long to pick the lock, allowing us entree into the room. "Holy Pokeballs, this place is beautiful!"

"The Parlor Suites are the modicum of luxury. This one comes with a sitting room, two wardrobes, two bedrooms, two baths and a private promenade." I said, as I headed deeper into the room. "Rumors on C-Deck indicate this was to be J.P. Morgan's suite,"

"J.P. Morgan?" Kanemoto asked. She stifled a giggle. "John Peter Morgan, those are three euphemisms for the word dick,"

"How classy," I giggled. "J.P. Morgan is an influential man. It's thanks to him that the Federal Reserve exists. He is the owner of The White Star Line, makers of the Titanic. And it is here that we will find that ticket!"

I eagerly begin searching around the room. I wanted to find this ticket more than anyone. Not many have noticed, but I've been searching for one since we came aboard this ship. I long to return to life… I have a great many things left to do. I get that there are others who deserve it more, but I can't keep floating around tirelessly. I want to live my life, until my true date of death.

I guess I truly did have a desire to return to life. Especially since I've been doing this behind everyone's backs. The only reason I bothered with Kanemoto is because she's like me. I can tell she longs to leave this hellhole, more than anyone else. How she described her relationship with her girlfriend clued me in. If she helps me find this one, then I will definitely return the favor.

"You never told me Nikki, why do you want to come back?" Kanemoto asked. She opened a dresser, and started looking inside. "Is being a ghost type boring?"

"Ghost type?" I mumble in confusion. "No, that isn't it. I have unfinished business in the world. I didn't get to fulfill my hopes, my dreams! I know it's a bit selfish, but if I get a body… then I might be able to… you know, do something with my life."

"I see. Well, I guess that's understandable. I yearn to see my white haired princess one of these days. That shit won't happen unless i find a ticket and get off this stupid spit of land,"

"Well… I've predicted 24 other areas where tickets are located. There are 3 in the Mail Room. Did you know, the Titanic was once called S.S. Titanic."

"Really? The hell is the difference with the name it has now?" the brunette asked, clearly confused.

"Well, S.S. stands for Screw Steamer. As in, the propeller system it uses. However, it changed call signs when it started delivering mail to the United States. It became RMS Titanic, or Royal Mail Steamer." I explained. Finding the desk empty, I moved towards the wardrobe.

"Huh." She said, glancing up at the ceiling. "That's neat… guess that means the S.S. Anne in Pokemon is a Screw Steamer. That's sweet!"

"Hehe, yep! Also, her sister ship, the Britannic would have shared the same designation. However, with the advent of World War I, all passenger ships were requisitioned by the British Government. Titanic's sister became the HMHS Britannic, or Her Majesty's Hospital Ship,"

"Not that this isn't interesting sweetheart, but could you point to where this fucking ticket is?" The girl snapped, turning to face me. "I'm starting to get hungry,"

I sighed, about to reply when the door handle jiggled. The two of us shared a look, panic appearing on our faces. I glared at Kanemoto. _"Hide!" _I hissed, diving into the wardrobe. Kanna instead dove under the bed, barely hiding under it as the door opened.

"So let me get this straight, the old man wants us to what?" a voice spoke. It was a bit distorted, one that I couldn't recognize easily. I leaned against the door frame, peeking out slightly. I noticed Surrashakuma, walking toward the center of the room.

_**"Well it's like this. Several days have passed on the outside. Like… more than a week. Things are getting slow, and y'all seem unable to pull the trigger," **_she said, turning to face the figure. _**"Chekov's gun was brought onto this vessel, but no one has used it yet!"**_

"The tickets you mean?" The figure asked. "You were expecting people to go crazy over them? Pfft… these feeble minded idiots are stronger than you give them credit for. Perhaps you shouldn't have put us on the _Titanic _of all places. This ship is too grand for us not to want to see it,"

_**"I didn't pick the setting shit for brains, sheesh!" **_ The bear cried in annoyance. _**"As if things can't get any worse. Listen buddy, I'm not normally like this, but the old man promised me a body after my… unforeseen exit from this world."**_

_"Unforeseen exit?" _I thought, narrowing my eyes. Then it hit me. Could Surrashakuma be a victim too? I don't remember her being here before us. In fact, it was Kinsei who brought her here, from that amusement park.

"And I am supposed to care because?"

_**"Because if you want Ursula back, you'll want to stay on Jibo's good side. Believe me, you don't want to piss that fucker off. You just gotta learn to fall in line and do as you are told. You did well during the first trial, you've got this in the bag," **_

_"The first trial?" _I thought. I let out a silent gasp, clutching my hand over my mouth. _"This person was the one who killed Isabella… the mole that got away!" _

What an unbelievable stroke of luck. I happened to choose this suite at random and I get this as a reward? Nice work Nico, go e yourself a pat on the back! My gaze shifts to Kanna, who was still under the bed. I placed a finger over my lips, silently telling her to stay quiet. My attention returns to the two figures.

"Don't threaten me with my dead wife you little shit!"

_**"You knew what you were signing up for. Now come on, stir something up. This program is set to end tomorrow. Someone has to die or all of you will. You know what happens to the Titanic on April 14th, after all." **_Surrashakuma said, almost giggling. The figure was about to speak, when an adjacent door opened, causing everyone, myself included, to jolt in surprise.

"Well what a fucking surprise! I wasn't expecting something like this, but color me impressed!" a familiar voice said. I grit my teeth, unable to see. I waited for a tense second, shooting to the other side of the room for a better look. "So you are the mole all along? That's impressive,"

_"What the fuck… Lars? And Ethan?" _I screamed in my head. The demonologist had come from the Private Promenade. He has probably been laying in wait there.

"Ugh. Leave it to you to be snooping around. What the hell do you want Lars?" Ethan snapped, glaring at the man. "Come here to kill me because I'm a traitor?"

"Kill You? Why would I do that?" The man grinned. "No no no… I think this discovery is just what I needed. You see, I've got something in the works, and I just found the right person for the job!"

_**"What job would that be?" **_Surrashakuma asked, slamming her cane to the ground. _**"This isn't Labor Ready you know? Go get your own worker somewhere else!"**_

"Shut up kid, this doesn't involve you. So why don't you get lost?"

"Why don't you?" Ethan countered, glaring at Lars, who just smirked. "We were having a private conversation until you decided to shove yourself in it."

"Wow! You are right… you were having a conversation! It was so engaging too… I liked the part where Surrashakuma told you to stir some trouble up… imagine what the others would say should this information go public."

_**"Ha! As if anyone would believe you over Ethan. He gained their trust while you keep making them loathe you. We have the higher ground!"**_

"For how long?" Lars asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You know you can't win kid… what did Jibo promise you? A second chance at life? I doubt he'd actually do that. He would just shove you in this game," he said, chuckling. "Wait… why do I care?"

"Why _do_ you care?" Ethan chirped, glaring at the man. He looked him over, taking in his attire, noting how dusty it was. "Matter of fact, what the hell are you even doing here?"

"Hunting for tickets of course! I've made quite a collection!" Lars said, reaching into his jacket. He pulled out a stack of golden tickets, causing the teenager to gasp. My jaw dropped in surprise.

_"That's why Dylan is so pissed off...Lars has been collecting those in secret! Dylan hasn't been able to find one because half of them are gone!" _I exclaim in my head, realisation hitting me like a ton of bricks. _"But that means… there are less tickets to get… I won't be able to get out of here without one!"_

_**"How!?" **_Surrashakuma shouted, throwing her hat on the ground. _**"Those were programmed to be nigh impossible to find! The spawn rates were at 1% and the challenges were set to Merciless! How did you get them all?"**_

"A magician doesn't reveal his secrets does he?" Lars said, moving towards the bed. He hopped onto it, causing Kanemoto to speak, thankfully, the beds creak was enough to mask it. "Ethan my friend, you need a golden ticket to revive your slut correct?"

"Watch it fuckface!" The cryomancer cried, holding his hand up. Shards of ice flowed around it. "I'm one of the few who got to keep their powers in here. I could kill you right now and not even break a sweat,"

"You won't do it!" The demonologist said, smirking at Ethan. "You won't do it, because a part of you knows that you would die if we went to trial. Golden tickets on this ship can be used for two things, to get a body or to get off the island. You can't use them to skip a trial, but even then, you actually bothered finding trying to find one. All for some dead slut."

"What. Do. You. Want?" the younger man hissed, glaring at Lars. The demonologist rolled his eyes.

"That's more like it! Honestly, not much. I need you to get rid of someone for me… thing is they're rather particular right now. Do it for me and I'll keep your secret safe." He said, flipping through the tickets in his hand.

"You want me to get rid of Someone?" Ethan reiterated, quirking a brow. "Why? I risk my ass for a worthless ticket and your word that you'll keep my secret safe? You can't threaten me with that. I'll tell you now, it won't work."

"I won't just keep your secret buddy. I'll facilitate you whenever possible. I could care less what happens to these chucklefucks. All I want is to destroy humanity! Starting with that siren,"

_"Charlotte? He wants Ethan to kill Charlotte?" _I cried in my mind, unable to believe what I was hearing. I had many questions, and thankfully Ethan asked them for me.

"Why? Are you still salty that she fucked you over at the Foundation Site? Kind of a stupid move really,"

"I could care less. The bitch needs to die." He said angrily, sitting down roughly on the bed. I could see Kanna squirming at his weight. "I'm sure killing her is the necessary step we need to drive Daisuke to despair. He's a beacon right now, and if he dies… well things become interesting," Lars said, sneering. He had a disgusting smile on his face. I had the urge to punch him in the face, but I held my ground.

"Heh… seems like a waste to me. That girl is a beauty… why not kill him and take her as a servant or some shit?"

"A perfect specimen like me doesn't require the touch of a woman. In fact, it is people like her that make men lose their virtue, and integrity. It is what makes men foul… it happened to someone I knew, and they became the worst human imaginable. Just because he wanted to get his dick wet." Lars said, a far off look on his face.

_**"Sheesh… here I thought you liked looking at tits… color me impressed. Whatever. As long as a body drops, I could care less what the fuck happens. Remember, it has to be a participant. Hostages and ghosts are useless to you!" **_Surrashakuma said firmly.

"Fine… I'll kill Charlotte. Besides, if I dump the body then there's no trial. Shame… such a waste of a beautiful girl. You'll keep the end of the deal then? Keep my secret underwraps?"

"Sure, whatever. Everything will go according to plan afterwards," he said, holding back his smile. Ethan glanced at Surashakuma who just shrugged in confusion. I sighed silently in relief as they headed towards the doors.

_"Thank God this is over… if we got found out, things would have been-"_

"Achoo!"

_"Shit!" _I hissed angrily.

"What was that?" Lars asked, stopping dead in his tracks. "Someone sneezed, there's someone else here!"

"Did you hear where it came from?" Ethan asked, looking around. He glanced at the bed, a look of interest appearing on his face. "I think someone is hiding under the bed!"

"It was me!"

I jumped out from the wardrobe, taking the three by surprise. I was panting a bit, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I knew I was screwed, but I would rather it be me than Kanna. Lars walked over, stomping loudly as he wrapped his hand around my throat, slamming me into the wall.

"You see? Women are just useless little snakes. Honestly if it wasn't because we need vaginas to reproduce, I would classify them as a waste of space!" He said, squeezing my throat. I wheezed, struggling to breathe. "You heard all of that, didn't you?"

_**"Lars are you an idiot? Of fucking course she heard that! She's not fucking deaf, just partially blind!" **_The two times bear cried, glaring at me. _**"I would punish you for eavesdropping, but that's not a crime!"**_

"Hmm… well, we can't do anything. Why don't we kill her?" Ethan asked. My heart started beating hard in my chest. I felt Lars release his hold on me, slightly.

"Oi shit for brains, the bear said ghosts and hostages were off limits. Offing this chick wouldn't do fuckity fuck for us."

"Well we gotta do something with her. Or else she'll blab about it to the others!"

"I-I w-won't." I choked out, causing them to look at me. "P-please,"

"My fucking ass. I know for a fact you'll tell Daisuke or Diego about it. We may as well kill her and get it over with. Ghosts are useless anyway,"

_**"Hmm… I got another idea!" **_Surrashakuma said, grinning as she stepped up before me. I struggled to swallow the lump in my throat. _**"Lars, be a dear and let her go."**_

I fell to the ground, coughing loudly. I spit onto the carpet as I breathed. I felt the cold cane at my chin, forcing me to look at the bear, despite my glasses being off, I could see her form perfectly.

_**"You yearn to live again don't you? You feel like you have a lot left to do… you came here searching for a ticket, but instead found all of us… shame isn't it?" **_

"Just tell me what you want!" I hissed, my voice hoarse from being choked. Surrashakuma reached her paw out, glancing expectantly at Lars. He looked confused for a moment, before pulling out a ticket.

_**"Here you are my dear. You get to keep this one," **_

I spat on the ground, defiantly glaring at the bear. "Shove it up your ass, I don't want a dirty ticket from a pair of moles and a Chuck E Cheese rip off,"

_**"Well if I keep it, then sadly you have to die." **_She said, causing me to stiffen. I backed away, hitting the wall. _**"Where was that spunk you had a second ago? Did you piss it out?"**_

"Can we not waste time? The others will wonder where I am if I don't head to dinner soon," Ethan said, arms crossed in annoyance. Surrashakuma twirled her cane around, pointing it at my nose.

_**"Your motive is simple my dear. 7 hostages are still aboard this vessel. If you want to keep breathing, as a ghost or otherwise, you'll get rid of 4 of them. As an act of good faith, you get this ticket," **_she said, placing it down on the floor. _**"I expect this done by 3PM tomorrow afternoon. If not, not only will we take your ticket away, but we will kill all of your ghost friends!"**_

"Your souls will be purged from this planet forever. Think about it, you'll be responsible for your permanent death. Take the offer kid, it's your best bet for survival." Ethan said, sounding sympathetic.

"You'll take the deal, because in the end you are a coward. If you reveal what was talked about here, I will ensure you suffer a million deaths, far worse than what you've already lived through." Lars said firmly, looking around the room. "Same goes for the cuntbag hiding here. When I find you, I will snap your neck like a twig,"

"You don't need to threaten me," I said, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible. "I'll do it, just don't hurt anyone else."

_**"Sure thing sweetheart! I won't touch any of your ghostly friends. Bears honor. But remember, you got until 3. Either you kill those hostages, a body drops or you all die! Have fun with that!"**_

It didn't take long for them to leave. I remained silent, looking down at the golden ticket. The very object that I had come searching for. The object that lead me to where I am now. Kanemoto crawled out from under the bed, but I said nothing.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly. I nodded, still looking at the ticket.

"Yeah… but you saw what happened. If I don't do this, then my friends will die permanently."

"I know… it's a tough choice but… you wanna come back to life right? I'm the end, you want to find a way to save your ghost friends. You can't do that if you are dead. If I were you, I would weigh my options," she said, looking at the ticket. "Not valid until April 16th 1912...tch.. what are the odds?"

"2243 to 1 I'm afraid," I said, forcing myself to stand up. "I think I know what I have to do,"

"The hostages?" Kanemoto asked, causing me to nod. She sighed, glancing at the wall. "Leave the sick girl, Charlie's sister and Miss Del Rio alone. They're good people…"

"I'll… keep that in mind," I say softly, as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. A look of confliction greets me. Who would have guessed I would end up in a situation like this?

* * *

**Location: Jibo's Mansion (Hora Island)**

**Time: 1:00 PM**

**Date: August 10th, 2020**

"This is so fuckin boring pops. Seriously, why the hell are we doing this?" Kinsei asked, a bored look on his face as he glanced around the lab. While the set up hadn't changed, the various monitors now showed POV images from every single person within the Neo World Program. Saino stood beside the younger man, a similar look on her face.

"Not to impugn your work sir, but Kinsei does make an excellent point. What exactly is the purpose of this research test?"

"To test their mental fortitude my dear," the doctor replied, not taking his eyes off the screen. "You see… this whole thing was drafted as an idea to explore the human mind. There are some subjects that are showing some mental weakness, if you will. They shall be more susceptible to despair than your average Joe."

"What you mean to tell me is that you are testing these kids for something in the future?" Syd asked, crossing his arms. "I must admit, I didn't think you had grown fond of these idiots already,"

"I grow fond of all my subjects Syd. After spending so much time experimenting on them, and making them far superior than they were before, you tend to grow attached to them. Take Miss Bailey for example. Even she doesn't know that she has a perfect twin running around this island,"

"Hmm… you are right Sakha… he seems a bit off today." Saino mumbled softly, as she glanced at her clipboard. "Yes, I am aware of that. I know that we won't get to see Mariana's true power if she's stuck in a machine. I can't do anything about it for now,"

"Oi dad, are you sure this one has all her screws tightened? Because I'm willing to bet she's starting to lose her marbles," Kinsei said, looking away from Saino, who kept talking to herself. He shook his head. "Whatever the case may be, that Lars guy is more trouble than he's worth. Doing rituals and shit on this island without supervision. He could have destroyed the island you know,"

"Believe me, I wouldn't make that man more powerful than my own son. What he did was barely within the parameters of his powers." Jibo said, finally turning around to face the others. "And if you hadn't noticed, those sirens have become a bit of a nuisance. Him eliminating a crowned princess should send them a message to stay away from us,"

"Or it could lead to Atlantis attacking us," Syd said, shaking his head. "I still can't believe that place is real, and I still can't believe you actually stole DNA from them in order to make more sirens. You never cease to amaze me, Doctor."

"It's good to know I can still keep you on your toes Syd," the worn looking man said. He was about to speak, when a series of coughs shook his body. The surgeon was already at his side, tending to him, only to be pushed away. "I'm fine boy… just got a tickle in my throat."

"Heh… even when the cancer is kicking your ass, you kick back just as hard. As expected of you old man." Kinsei said. He felt something buzzing in his pocket, and reached inside to find a message on his cellphone. "Oh lookie here… one of my informants mentioned a Kuma-Kuma Land survivor was spotted in the Future Foundation."

"Oh? That's quite interesting… I wasn't expecting someone to leave that place alive." Jibo said, a smirk on his face. "Things are becoming a lot more interesting around the world aren't they?"

"Tch… tell me about it. Versailles Academy just started classes too. Those Elites are dumb shits… thinking they could behave normally while there's a killing game going on," Kinsei said firmly.

"Heh, jealous about being rejected? I'm sure the _Elite Alchemist _would have been an interesting person to meet!" She said, earning a glare from the teenager.

"Why don't you fuck off asshole? No one asked for your opinion!"

"If I may be bold to say this, I believe Versailles resuming class is a good thing," Saino said, earning curious looks from the others. "If only to give the world a false hope. I'm certain this will attract the attention of Ultimate Despair, it will be interesting to see it unfold,"

"The News Paper showed the class too. Some smarmy kid is the class president." Kinsei said, showing off a picture on his phone. "Heh, I wouldn't mind turning his face into fuel for my alchemy."

"Don't get to ahead of yourself son. You should focus on other matters, like ensuring the City is doing well. At this rate, our subjects might be visiting it soon," Jibo said firmly. "Bring me good news."

Kinsei glanced at the others, shrugging his shoulders. "Sure thing, whatever you want daddy-o! I'll get ready to bring ya what you need. But I want to have some fun too! I'll keep myself informed with everything surrounding the Future Foundation and Kuma-Kuma Land and Versailles. You have fun watching this soap opera," he said. With that, Kinsei Momota took his leave, leaving behind Syd and Saino.

"Are you going to explain what that means to us?" the woman asked, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Or will you keep us in the dark?"

"You'll know in time." Jibo said replied, waving his hand at them. His gaze returned to the screens, seeing the various things his subjects and captives were seeing.

"Why the Titanic? Out of all the things you could have gone with, it had to be this? I was assuming you were gonna use something else. The data version of Jabberwock Island, the fully rendered Hope's Peak Academy. Hell, I was even hoping you would use the information that was gathered from that weird city. Not this…"

"Syd does make a point, it's an odd setting for sure." Saino added. Jibo chuckled, a small smile appearing on his face.

"We're either of you aware of who owned this island previously?" the man asked.

"Uh… the SCP Foundation?" Syd asked, causing the man to shake his head.

"No… it was owned by one of my ancestors. Ryusuke Momota… the one who ended up placing a curse on this hallowed ground by accident. He died on this very ship over 100 years ago. I hold it very dear in my heart." he said, chuckling. "However, the ship of dreams is going to become the ship of nightmares soon. Once they all believe this is their reality of course… though some are being peskier than others," Jibo said, glancing at Daisuke's screen, a look of annoyance on his face.

"I'm certain things will become more interesting in the coming hours. Things are slowed down in there for them, it gives them all the time they need to get acclimated with their surroundings," the surgeon said, his eyes focusing on various screens at once. "Let us not forget, we have someone on the inside as well. They will certainly make things get dicey, if that's what you are looking forward too."

"Yes and he's already acting… I'm looking forward to all his plans and more. Let us continue watching, you never know who might die, and who might survive. This will indeed be a night to remember,"

* * *

_**xxx(End of Act 8)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 23**

**Ghost Peeps: 11**

**Hostages: 7**

* * *

**A/N: Happy 4th of July America-chan! I hope you have many more birthdays like this one! Even though the Declaration of Independence wasn't signed until August 2nd, 1776, but who's keeping track?**

**Anyway, it seems things are finally getting interesting aboard the Ship of Dreams! The filler will end soon, as we move onto the final acts of Chapter 2. I am very excited for you all to read what I have cooked up! **

**Now I shall end this note for alas this chapter is long enough. I even cut down some stuff and got rid of some scenes that were redundant. Hope y'all liked it! See ya… sometime soon lol.**


	24. C2 Act 9: The Ship of Dreams

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 9

The Ship of Dreams

_**xxx**_

**Location: Squash Court (F-Deck)**

**Time: 11:30 AM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"Ha!" Riku cried, as he swung his racket. The rubber ball struck the wall with tremendous force. It ricocheted off the wall, flying straight towards Felicks.

"I got it!"

"Nice shot kiddo!" Ashton cried, encouraging the shorter boy. He swung his racket in time, sending the ball in another direction. "Heads up Ethan!"

"Hiyah!" The cryomancer shouted, virtually spiking the ball forth. It flew across the room, striking the wall hard. It flew straight at Daisuke who had been distracted. "Oh shit, Dais look out!"

The man looked up far too late. The blue ball struck his face, causing him to stumble back. He clutched his nose, dropping his racket. "Hijo de la gran puta, me cago en tu madre!" Came his muffled swear.

"Oof, I don't need to know Spanish to understand that!" the neko said with a cringe. He knelt down before the man, still clutching his nose. "You okay buddy?"

"Does it look like I am okay?" He cried angrily. "I just took a projectile full force to my face area, of course I am not okay!"

"Don't be such a puss." Ashton said, clapping his shoulder. "It barely bruised, and this is a video game anyway."

"That doesn't mean we can't feel pain Ash," Felicks said, a look of worry on his face.

"I'm okay… it's just… god this entire fucking trip has been getting to me. It's been four days and nothing has happened. Nothing! Jibo hasn't made some grand appearance, he hasn't taunted us, hasn't issued a motive, aside from what Syd told us, and he hasn't done anything to incentivize us!" the man said, sitting flat on the ground. "Surrashakuma is going around, doing who knows what, threateing Miyaki and branding her, and everyone else is doing fuck all! I just want this goddamn motive to end already!"

"Believe me man, I want nothing more than for this shit to end. I'm growing tired of all these high society fucks judging me for my skin color," the Ultimate Treant said, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the wall. "I didn't think I'd end up facing so much social stigma here. I thought San Diego was bad. Jesus, segregation on this fucking ship is awful."

"This place is just full of classist jerk offs with far too much money on their hands. I mean just last night, I wanted to admire the art in the Smoking Room. Weiss and Gehrig her so called 'friends' kicked us out!" Riku said, an angry look on his face. "They're supposed to be there for her, instead they just treated her like she was unimportant, spat in her face and virtually told her to 'get back in the kitchen' like nothing,"

"Maybe the program is finally getting to us all." Ethan said, sighing to himself. "After four days here, I would expect us to start losing touch with reality. This is the real motive after all. I'm willing to bet the old man is waiting for one of us to crack. In fact, this might become so real when a person is jolted back to reality, they may end up doing something heinous,"

"You actually believe someone would kill in here?" Felicks asked curiously. He rolled his shoulders a bit, a frown on his face. "What would be the point? If it's like a video game then wouldn't we just come back to the real world?"

"That might not be the case," Daisuke said, wiping away the small dribbles of blood from his nose. "The Neo World Program could have been refit and redesigned for all we know. Giselly seems to be onto something though. She wants to initiate an escape program of sorts."

"But we can't rely on that either." Ashton firmly added. "Who knows what could happen, for all we know, our brains could be turned into a thick paste by this machine. Or worse."

"What's worse than having our brains turned into a Stouffers Lasagna?" the silver haired catboy asked. Should his ears have been a part of his avatar, they would have likely flattened themselves. "There is seriously nothing worse than that."

"Clearly you haven't seen Sword Art Online." the dark skinned man said.

"I hate to follow anime logic, but yeah… Ash is right. I was close friends with one of the people who programmed this thing. The pods that we are likely in use microwaves to scan our brains. They attach at the base of our necks, cutting off all nerve readings to the rest of your body. You need all of your brain to control your avatar here after all,"

"And this was supposed to be used for people with neurological problems?" the cryomancer asked, causing the storyteller to nod. "Christ… what the hell was Hope's Peak Academy thinking?"

"They weren't… a single teenage girl was able to end the world, you think they would have foreseen this kind of tech being used for this?" the treant said, chuckling. "Shiet… we're the biggest retards of all. The AUP is probably some secret government project headed by those fucks. We were turned into circus freaks,"

"Heh… if Miyaki was here, I'm sure she would have slapped you."

"The blonde can try, I'm far too tall for her. Then again with her lithe body, I'm sure she can find a way," he said. He reached into his pocket for a watch, eyes widening a bit. "Shit, sorry fellas but we're gonna have to cut this one short. Me and Annie have a date at the cafe,"

"Annie?" Felicks queried, a small smile on his face. "I didn't think you two were that close already."

"Shut up Fairy!" the man cried. This time, instead of it being hostile, it was of embarrassment. "That damned dragon was able to wrap me around her finger. Once she got me to realize what a douche canoe I was being, I started seeing her differently." he said, a smile appearing on his face. "She's amazing… and we've been through similar shit… I want to keep her safe, from whatever is out there."

"Aw… that's so totally adorable!" Riku said happily. "You go on and make her happy. Be sure to tell us the details after you come back nya!" he said, giving the man a wink, fists balled up to mimic paws.

"Don't fucking do that ever again." Ashton deadpanned. "I know you are a neko but goddamn it, you don't have to talk like a damn anime character. I'll see ya later boys." he said, taking his leave. Daisuke stood up, cracking his back.

"I should probably get going… I have to find Charlotte and apologize to her."

"Oh right… I forgot you got caught kissing Mackenzie. That must be rough," the fairy said, causing the storyteller to shake his head. "S-sorry… I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"Nah… you're okay kiddo… have fun with Riku and Ethan. It won't be long before we get off this ship. May as well make the most of it for now." he said. With that, the storyteller also took his leave. Riku grabbed the ball, bouncing it a bit.

"Shame… Racket Ball isn't so fun with just three people."

"We can still play a game. Come on cat, I thought you liked chasing balls… or are you chasing Ibb's ass instead?"

"Grr… you… I'll kick your ass!"

"Hey guys, I have a serious question for you." Felicks said, interrupting the two teens. "Do you think… we are starting to lose touch with reality?"

"Why do you ask that?" the neko said, tilting his head. "Do you think we are?"

"No it's just-" he paused, feeling his throat become abnormally dry. "I just feel like we already lost touch with reality. Look at the state of the world. Life as we knew it is over… that world that cradled us from babyhood to now is gone. We're science experiments for Pixie's sakes!"

"Try not to think too hard about it kid," Ethan said, becoming serious. "For me… my reality ended when I lost someone close to me." the teenager threw the ball at the nearby wall, catching it with ease. "I was in a lab… it was huge, filled with all of these scientists. I forget what it was that they were using me for. I remember falling in love with a woman… Ursula. She was the only one there that felt real…"

"What… what happened to her?" Riku asked, swallowing the lump in his throat. Ethan laughed quietly, shifting his cool gaze to look at the neko.

"The scientists wanted to experiment with something else. My emotions only became unstable when I was given various stimuli. They noticed how close I had gotten with Ursula, so they used her against me. They brought her into my containment chamber, and shot her right before my eyes. That was the day that I died, and Ursula took me with her,"

"All of this happened to you? But you look fifteen!" Felicks said.

"I'm a lot older than you think I am… I just keep myself very well preserved." Ethan replied jokingly. He shifted his gaze toward Riku. "You talk about this Ibb girl a lot… I haven't spent time around you, but maybe you should talk to her… you know about being a couple?"

"Isn't it too soon?" he asked. "We've only gotten to know each other recently after all."

"Why not? Anyone can go at any time… it's better to die with a friend than it is dying alone. Believe me kid, you wouldn't want to die alone… or a virgin." the cryomancer said with a laugh. "What about you Felicks… got your eye on any gals?"

"I got my eye on a few. But I wanna find the perfect one before I grease the pole as they say." the fairy replied with a wink. "If I had to pick a girl right off the bat… maybe Miyaki? She's super cute, and she looks nice in that leotard."

"Hoo boy… you might be barking up the wrong tree there buddy. I heard Kiki talking with Shiro not long ago. They were talking about this other guy, some man named Peter… apparently he's the son of her former circus owner. By the way she talked, she was clearly head over heels for him." Riku said. Felicks shrugged it off.

"Plenty of fish in the sea as they say… I just want someone caring you know? I have a little brother I have to take care of. I wouldn't want him to have a mean older sister."

"Ah… I get it." Ethan said softly. He perked up a bit, smiling. "So, you got a brother? What's he like?"

"Ivan? He's a sweetheart. He's very intuitive for a child his age. I've been taking care of him for a long time now. I don't like admitting this but… well our parents abandoned us," he said. Riku and Ethan shared a look of concern.

"Abandoned you? Like… how?"

"They just up and left. I remember when my mom told me she was having a baby. I was so happy, but after he was born, her attitude shifted a bit. She wasn't as vivacious as before. Dad seemed to be losing his touch as well. The only thing I found solace in was gardening." he admitted, a smile on his face. "Whenever Ivan would get fussy, I would hum 'You are my sunshine' and he'd be out like a light."

"Gardening huh? I guess it makes sense why you are a fairy! You're like Tinkerbell, a garden fairy!"

"Uh Riku… Tinkerbell isn't a garden fairy, her friend Rosetta is the garden fairy." Felicks said, giggling. "Believe me, I know a thing or two about fairies. I've yearned to find one for the longest time. And lo and behold, I get turned into one when I joined the AUP! Once I get out of Hora Island, I'll go back to the Ukraine and take care of my brother. I'll use my fairy magic to make our lives easier!"

"For your sake, I wish ya luck kiddo… something tells me things will get rough soon." Ethan said, looking away from the two.

"What makes you say that?" Riku questioned, a worried look on his face. Ethan shrugged, throwing the ball into the air.

"Just a gut feeling." he replied. With a single strike, the ball flew off, bouncing all throughout the court.

Meanwhile, Daisuke was wandering around the ship. It hadn't taken him long to get to his suite. Thanks to the lift, it only took a few minutes. He searched throughout B-Deck, hoping someone had seen the pink haired siren. He had just gone to her suite but she hadn't replied. He came to a direct stop at a crossroads, where the corridor split into three directions. If he kept going aft, he'd reach the Aft-Grand Staircase, but if he took either of the side paths, he'd likely end up back on the B-Deck Landing. He sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm starting to grow tired with all of this," he mumbled to himself. "Here I thought I would love this… I'm walking around the ship of dreams, taking it all in. But I feel more confused and alone than ever,"

"Aw… don't say that! You aren't alone… you never are!" a voice said. He stiffened, his entire body freezing in place. He shakily glanced over his shoulder, his breath catching in his throat. Standing behind him was someone he never thought he would see again.

"H-Hiyoko?"

"The one and only!" she said cheerfully. "It's so good to see you honey, I've missed you so much!" she said, jumping into his arms.

She was absolutely beautiful. The girl had definitely grown, she was tall and busty, measuring a decent five foot seven. Her chest had grown quite a bit as well, being a healthy DD-cup. She was wearing a soft pink kimono, with flower prints all over the fabric. The sleeves almost touched the ground from her long they were. Around her waist, she wore a sky blue obi, with white cloud prints and small birds. Her tiny feet were barely visible, she was wearing traditional wooden sandals, along with wool socks. Her hair was smooth and free flowing, decorated with flowers.

"You… you aren't real." he said softly, pushing the woman back. She looked at him, hurt at his accusation. Her pale yellow eyes were filled with worry.

"What are you talking about? I'm as real as everyone else aboard this ship. Are you telling me you forgot what we are doing here?" Hiyoko asked, reaching into her sleeve. "See? We're on a trip to America! The invitations have already been sent out, 500 of them to be exact."

"Huh?" he mumbled, taking the card from her hand. He looked it over, reading the fancy script. "You are cordially invited to the wedding of Daisuke Del Rio and Hiyoko Saionji. Friday April 19th, 1912?"

"That's right! Mother was so nice too… she bought us tickets on the Olympic for our honeymoon. We'll be spending it in Paris! We'll see the riviera, Versailles Palace and even the Eiffel Tower! Come on honey, you should be excited about this!"

"No… no this is all wrong! You aren't real… none of this is fucking real!" he cried, tearing the card clean in half. He turned it into confetti, throwing it at the blonde, who stood there shocked. "You… you are dead! You died in that space station… you became despair! You aren't real!"

"D-Daisuke… what's wrong? What's gotten into you? You weren't like this before." Hiyoko asked, a look of worry on her face. Her lower lip quivered, eyes glazing over. "Do you not… love me anymore?"

"I got over you!" Daisuke exclaimed, pointing his finger at her. "Everything you did, you did for Junko. You let her brainwash you into killing millions! You put innocents through a killing game for no reason! I loved you Hiyoko, I truly did. But the only thing I ever longed for after your descent into despair, was your own death!"

"But why?" she said softly. She grabbed onto his shirt, squeezing it tightly. "Why are you doing this?"

"Stop talking!" he exclaimed, wrapping his hand around her neck. He slammed her into the wall, causing her to squeak. He clutched her throat rightly, gritting his teeth as he held her in place. "Hehehehe…"

"D-Daisuke?" she hissed. He shook his head, brushing a hand through his hair.

"Lo siento Palomita, tu principe esta en otro castillo." the man said, chuckling. "La máscara de la Justicia a llegado… tienes algo más que decir?"

"D-Daisuke… I love you!"

The man backhanded the blonde as hard as he could, sending her sprawling to the ground. He grabbed a hold of her kimono, pulling her up slightly. He glared deep into her eyes, grinding his teeth together.

"He's in a place where your love can't reach him. Believe me… I've wanted to do this for such a long time. The last time I got close, my tanto was ripped from my hand, and I almost got us killed. But in here? I have the chance… the chance that I need to get revenge on you!"

"Revenge? My… that's quite intriguing." Hiyoko said, causing the man to drop her. It was then he noticed her voice had changed entirely. He blinked a few times, jumping back slightly. Rather than Hiyoko, the one who lay before him was Junko Enoshima herself. "Tell me Sparkling Justice, how do you intend on getting revenge?"

"Que Dios te reprenda, demonia!" he hissed angrily. "La Estrella Brillante de la Justicia viene a corregir su unico error!"

Junko giggled as she forced herself to stand up. The man sized her up, his eyes locked on her every movement. She reached behind her back, pulling out a handgun, aiming it at his forehead. "Pop Quiz hotshot, what do you think happens when someone dies in this program? You should know the answer to this, you were talking about it not that long ago!"

"You disgusting retch… only a disgraceful deceitful louse brings a gun to a fist fight," he said. Junko shrugged, flicking the safety off her weapon, finger on the trigger.

"Them's the breaks kid. I'm afraid that's how the cookie crumbles!"

Before the woman could even react, a bright flash filled the room. It was almost instantaneous. Daisuke saw the former Fashionista, clutching her throat, pink blood gushing from the wound. He noticed what looked like a handle sticking from her jugular. She fell to her knees, crumpling to the floor. A second later, her body disappeared entirely. The storyteller groaned, shaking his head slightly as he surveyed the area.

"That was close… I wasn't sure that would have worked." An accented voice said. Daisuke glanced down, seeing a familiar blonde beside him. She grabbed a hold of the knife, checking it over. "You have to keep your eyes open mate, or else you might end up dying,"

"Alice?" he asked shakily. She gave him a nod, along with a glimmering smile.

"Hey."

"What was that?"

"A delusion," the veterinarian said. "They've started appearing all over the ship. I saw my brother earlier. I thought the bastard was going to kill me, but I snapped out of it just when he was about to snap my neck. It seems to me like these delusions are made solid when we acknowledge them as real,"

"Shit." he said softly, rubbing his eyes. "So for a second there, that was the real Junko Enoshima?"

"Mhmm… and she would have killed ya too if I hadn't acted quick enough. The bitch… who the hell does she think she is copying your fiancee like that. She didn't even nail it right!"

"Huh… what was that last part?" Daisuke asked, having spaced out for a second. The strawberry blonde sighed, shaking her head.

"I said, it's messed up that she would copy your fiancee like that. Then again, I believe these delusions are being programmed by Jibo. They appear to us when we are alone, then once they materialize, our own minds give them form."

"Makes sense I guess. The Neo World Program was meant to help people who were losing their memories. If it's scanning our brains, then I'm sure it could pull information and create these delusions for us to see… still, it's fucked up."

"Mhmm…" she replied, glancing up at the man. "So… what was all of that? You said you were the Mask of Justice, care to explain?" Alice said, causing the man to frown. "You weren't acting like yourself. I saw most of that exchange but when you grabbed Hiyoko, it looked as if you had turned into someone entirely different," she explained. The man closed his eyes, steadying his breathing.

"_So… he did make him real after all. I was afraid of that… I didn't think he would actually turn a book into a split personality," _

"It's a long story Alice… and sadly I can't tell it right now. I want to find Charlotte no… I need to find her. If you help me, then I'll tell you everything in detail later."

"Hmm." she hummed, a pensive look on her face. She tapped her cheek with a finger tip, a small smile working its way onto her face. "You've got yourself an accord."

* * *

**Location: Reception Room Vestibule (D-Deck)**

**Time: 11:35 AM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"Mom! Can you stop embarrassing me?" Reukra cried, a flush on his face. The woman brushed off his concern, continuing the story she was telling.

"Then when he was about 9, he had this cute little friend. What was her name again? Stacey? No that wasn't it. I think her name was American though. Regardless of that, he used to spend a lot of time with her. He even told me he was crushing hard on her. The last time he saw her, he gave her a carnation and a kiss on the cheek." the woman said, placing a hand on her cheek. "I wish I had my phone with me, the picture is saved as my background!"

Haruna couldn't help but giggle. She finished the last of her tea, placing it back on the plate before her. She spared a glance at Reukra whose face was firmly placed on the table. His cheeks were flushed a deep crimson and he was muttering swears under his breath. She could tell he was very embarrassed by the story his mother had been sharing with her. She reached underneath the table, taking a hold of his hand. He briefly glanced at her, a look of confusion on his face. She just gave him a warm smile, glancing back at Aikeno.

"That was a sweet story Mrs. Orion, but I think we should talk about something else." she said, causing the woman to sigh.

"I suppose you're right, I'd rather share some of the better stories once we are out of here. Hmm… what to talk about…?"

"How about this… why did you let Reukra sail on a ship by himself?" the hostess asked curiously. Reukra sat up, shaking his head.

"Haru don't! She doesn't need to-"

"What… what do you mean he sailed on a ship by himself?" Aikeno asked. She turned to face her son, her look of joy turning into one of anger. "Tell me son… what does she mean by that?"

"W-well…" the boy paused, not knowing what to say. "Dad was being an asshole-"

"Language!" she interrupted. The teenager sat up, glaring at the woman.

"No mom, let me speak!" he cried back. Aikeno's eyes widened in surprise. There had only been one time he had gotten that annoyed. She gave him a silent nod, allowing him to speak. "Dad separated me from you, and took me to that damn military base. He always mistreated me, calling me useless. All of the other kids on that base bullied me as well."

"Reukra," Haruna said softly, squeezing his hand. He lightly squeezed it back, his gaze firmly on his mother.

"That man wasn't a father to me. When the going got tough, he said "tough shit" and pushed me onward. He treated me like a goddamned recruit. He forced me to be up at five, made me go through the same routine the kids at boot camp went through, and treated me like I was useless." he continued, taking a deep breath. "He even… he even went as far as telling me that you were dead. I lived for 3 years, thinking that you were gone. I detested him… I wanted nothing more than to be rid of him. So the first chance I got, I hopped onto a cargo ship and left. However, I ended up on a ship that was coming to Hora Island."

"Sweetheart… I'm sorry." the woman said softly, reaching over to her son. "That bastard told me you were mad with me. He said that you didn't want anything with me and wanted to focus on your military training. He said that you were already a Private First Class in the army and didn't have time for me,"

"I would never be mad at you!" the boy exclaimed, standing up from his seat. "Mom I love you! You are the most important woman in my life, you are my everything. Without you, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I would never, _ever _be mad at you!"

"I-" Aikeno stopped, lunging at the boy, hugging him tightly. "I love you Reukra, my sweet little angel! I knew you didn't hate me! You are my special little baby, I'm never letting you go!"

Haruna shook her head, looking away from the two. The Reception Room was filled with regulars, as the Church service had already ended. A few first class passengers were getting ready to take the tour of the ship, that was led by Thomas Andrews himself. She knew Miyaki and Giselly had shown interest in it, but she wasn't interested herself. Haruna was thinking of heading to the Turkish Baths again. She enjoyed her time there and wished to visit another time before reaching New York. She looked back just in time to see Reukra slightly push his mom back.

"O-okay mom… not too tight. There are other people in public watching us," he said softly.

"Aw… let them watch all they want." Aikeno said, earning a glare from her son. "Or maybe you should head back to your room. I'll be by with some tea in a few minutes. Besides, you guys should change out of those clothes…. Oh I know! We should head to the pool… even though I'm part of the Second Class, I'm sure you two can get me in!"

"Uh… sure Mrs. Orion. I'm certain we can get you in… we'll go change. I actually wanna go back to the Turkish Baths myself. Let's have some tea beforehand, maybe go speak with a stewardess about it?" Haruna asked.

"Sure thing! It's the least I can do… and please dear, call me Aikeno." she said, giving her a smile. Reukra began walking back toward his room, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked. Haruna was about to follow when Aikeno took her hand. "I wanna tell you something, away from my son."

"O-okay." she said softly.

"I can tell you care about my son. I've looked at you two and I can see the sparks flying between you. I know you are a little older than him, but I can see your feelings,"

"Oh… Mrs-"

"Aikeno!"

"Ah...right… Aikeno...l don't like your son." Haruna lied, looking away from the woman. "I just connect with him a lot. We have quite a lot in common. We all need a buddy in our lives, especially people who have social anxiety like the two of us," she continued, flushing. "I consider him a close friend. He's easy to talk too, and after the first trial, he's helped me calm down."

"Aw… sweetheart. You are so in love and you can't even see it… that's so cute." Aikeno said, giving the girl a hug. "You have my full permission to do anything you want with my boy. Turn him into a my little man, okay?"

"H-huh?" the hostess cried, eyes widening in shock. Aikeno was gone before she could even say anything. She shook her head, deciding to meet up with Reukra.

"What took you so long?" Reukra asked, once the woman had reached his room. He had already changed into a different outfit. Due to their tickets, she had gotten the room directly beside him. So they had been opening the doors that separated their rooms, and oftentimes talked into the dead of the night. She stepped into the room, holding back her flush.

"You're mom wanted to let me know that she was going to get some elderberry tea for us."

"Oh… okay. Well let's head in… I'll wait for you to change and for mom to get here," the man said, opening the door to their rooms. Haruna quickly stepped in, her heels clacking hard on the plush carpet. Even while muffled, her footsteps were quite audible.

"So… you wanted to go to the Turkish Baths again?" Reukra asked. "I haven't gone down there yet, I've been meaning to but I've been exploring the ship. I still have all of C-Deck to explore!"

"You've seen all of B-Deck already? Well that isn't too hard seeing all of B-Deck, there isn't a lot here, aside from parlor suites and what not." the woman said, from the other room. She changed out of her black dress, deciding to slip into a pink silk sundress that had been in her drawer.

"I still haven't seen all of the Grand Staircase. I always take the lifts in order to avoid it. I think that seeing it just before we reach New York would be ideal. You know, we should see it together."

"Reukra sweetie, I've already seen the Grand Staircase. I use it every night to get to the Dining Saloon."

"I know… still we should see it together." the boy said cheerfully. Haruna flushed, almost ruining her makeup. She finished touching up her face, setting the powder down. She grabbed her handbag, leaving her room.

"Um… well I'm ready." Haruna said, stepping into the sitting room. As she walked, she didn't notice her heel beginning to break, and when she put weight on it, it snapped. She let out a yelp, losing balance.

"Oh shit, hang on. You'll fall if you keep failing around." the duplicator said, trying to help the girl. Haruna ended up slipping, falling forward onto the boy. He let out a soft 'oof' as they hit the ground.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry Reukra!"

"No it's fine… I wasn't expecting your heel to break. Here… let me-" the man cut himself off, as he slammed his forehead against Haruna's. She gave out a cry of pain, clutching her head. "Ah… I'm sorry!"

Meanwhile outside, Aikeno had finally gotten the tea ready. She stopped before Reukra's room, about to knock on the door when she heard voices inside. She pressed her ear to the door, narrowing her eyes.

"_Ow Reu! It hurts!" _Haruna moaned softly.

"_I'm sorry Haru! I should have been slower. I promise it'll feel better in a minute!" _the boy replied. Aikeno's eyes widened in surprise, especially when she heard Haruna moan again.

"_Reukra! It hurts right now, don't touch it!"_

"_Sorry!"_

"Wow… I wasn't expecting her to actually follow my advice. Maybe I'll leave them alone for now," she said to herself, walking away with the tea set. Moments later, the two emerged from the room, with the hostess rubbing her forehead.

"Ugh… you are really hard headed you know that?"

"I know… my dad taught me how to headbutt for self defense. I didn't mean to do it Haru, honest."

Haruna looked around for a moment, spotting no one else in the corridor. She took a hold of Reukra's hand, a grin on her face. "Come on, before your mom shows up."

"Huh… what are we doing Haru?" the boy asked.

The girl giggled, deciding not to answer his question. She continued tugging on his arm, heading back toward the was a couple about to get onto the lifts, but the hostess pushed them aside, quickly climbing into it, closing the gate.

"Hey, what the 'ell?! We were waiting for this lift you stupid cunt!" the man snapped, his accent flaring each word. "The fuck is wrong with you?"

Haruna turned back to the man, giving him a shit eating grin. She held her hand up, her middle finger raised.

"How rude!" the woman gasped. Haruna turned to the lift operator, giving him a sweet smile.

"Could you please take us down to E-Deck."

"Yes ma'am." he chuckled, pulling the lever down. Reukra just watched, wondering what had gotten into his friend. It didn't take long to get down to E-Deck. They were surrounded by white walls. The bright brass letters marking the deck they were on greeting them.

"Here you are, have fun you two!" the operator said, giving them a smile as he opened the gate. The woman continued pulling Reukra along the corridor, not exactly knowing where she was going.

"I've never seen this part of E-Deck." the boy said.

"Me either. Let's just go with the flow!" the hostess said excitedly, picking a random direction. She took the boy down the winding hallways, not caring where they were going. She ended up taking a left turn, reaching a dead end. "Uh… shit."

"Haru… don't tell me you are lost!"

"I'm not! We just.. Gotta take this door back to the lifts and go up to another deck!" the girl said, opening the door to the very left. They ended up entering another room, a loud zoom filling the area.

"AH! Where the hell are we?" the duplicator cried.

"What?" the pinkette cried, her hands over her ears. She noticed a ladder that lead down, making her grin. She grabbed Reukra's hand, pulling him toward the ladder. "Let's see what's down here."

"No! We're not allowed down here Haru. We could get in trouble!"

"Pfft… no we won't! Come on Reu, have some fun for a change!" the girl said giving him a wink. Truthfully, she was kind of nervous herself. She didn't know what had come over her, but she wanted to have some fun with Reukra. Perhaps it had been what Aikeno had said to her after all. The boy relented, allowing himself to be brought down.

Instantly, the entire area got hot. Like very hot. Reukra looked around for a moment, seeing an orange light surrounding the room. The smell of burning coal assaulted his nose, making him think for a split second that he was in a cookout. Large, circular boilers could be seen, glowing orange from the heat. The loud voices of men could be heard, as they took turns shoveling coal and stoking the flames.

"This is…" Haruna mumbled, looking around. She saw several rough men, pushing wheelbarrows filled to the brim with coal. A few of them we're whistling while others were telling jokes about the things they would do on the return trip to England.

"Bring that one to coal bunker number one mate. The captain ordered for those to be lit within the hour and we need to have stoking flames soon. I've got 50 pounds on us making it to New York on Tuesday and I'm not gonna lose them because of you slow bastards!" a man said, patting his fellow worker on the shoulder, sending him on his way. He took notice of Reukra and Haruna, eyes widening in shock. "Oi, what are you two doing down here?"

"Oh shit, run!" Haruna took Reukra's hand, yanking him along.

"You two shouldn't be down 'ere! It could be dangerous! Oi!"

"_This girl is insane… what the hell is going on with her today?" _Reukra thought, as he looked up at Haruna. Her hair was flowing back from their run, her sundress trailing behind her as they passed the flaming boilers. Several men looked up at her, some laughing as she continued to run. She looked down at him, giving him a sweet smile, pulling him between some boilers.

"Ha...hah… this is pretty fun isn't it! I bet you the boiler room isn't on that silly tour Kiki and the others wanted to do."

"I guess… it's just… if my mom caught me down here, she'd probably strangle me. Especially because this place is so dangerous. I mean… we could get hurt, we could get burned! We could-" the boy found himself being cut off by a soft pair of lips on his. His eyes widened in surprise, a second later Haruna had pulled away.

"You talk too much Reu! Stop getting your panties in a twist, we'll be fine!"

The boy was panting a bit, his mind still reeling from the kiss she had given him. His hand slowly snaked around Haruna's waist, pulling her a bit closer. Her breath hitched slightly as he leaned up, pressing his lips against hers. In that matter, nothing mattered, just the two of them. The loud humming silenced down to a low roar, the voices around them were deafened. The couple continued their embrace, as the steam slowly enveloped them both.

* * *

**Location: Boat Deck (Titanic Tour)**

**Time: 12:00 PM **

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"I'm so glad that you could all join us today. These tours are offered daily but most of the passengers don't seem too interested." Thomas Andrews, the Architect and designer of the Titanic said. "We will be visiting various areas of the ship, starting with the bridge. So follow along if you don't want to get lost!" The man said cheerfully.

"He's kinda cute." Giselly said, a small smile on her face. Miyaki bumped her with her hip, glaring at the ravenette.

"We are on a mission here, not to look at the cute boys."

"Prude, you only say that because you are smitten with that circus boy!"

"I am not!" The blonde hissed under her breath, holding back a flush. "Seriously, let's focus!"

"I agree girls. We must keep out sure about us, we only have one shot at this, especially because this is the last tour before we start our approach into New York Harbor."

"We're still 600 miles away from Newfoundland, Diego. Stop freaking out, I'm sure we'll be fine!" Ren said cheerfully, in his Goku voice. He quickly switched to Natsu, a grin on his face. "Yeah, I'm all fired up!"

"Let's just be careful okay? We wouldn't want to attract too much attention to ourselves." Mallory said, sounding a bit worried. Miyaki gave her a smile, taking a hold of her hand.

"It's okay Mal. We'll be just fine!"

The small group was lead towards the Bridge, being allowed entree. The inside of the bridge was quite large, four large telegraphs could be seen at the very front of the room. They were large, round dials with various words written on them. The needles were all set to Full Speed, the handles being straight up. The helmsmen was standing at the wheel, his eyes firmly trained towards the bow, keeping the ship straight. A few other officers could be seen walking around, carrying out various orders.

"This is the ship's bridge. It's here that all orders are issued by Captain Smith. The telegraphs here are used to give the engine room the captain's orders. We only use one of them but in cases of emergencies, all four telegraphs are used." Andrews explained. He turned towards the helmsman, giving him a smile. "How are we doing?"

"22 knots sir, we're making excellent time. Ah, here comes the captain now." he said. Captain Edward Smith walked onto the bridge, happily greeting the group.

"Hello everyone, welcome to the bridge. I'm always happy to see passengers interested in the operations going on. And so many youngsters too."

"Hey Gis… when are we gonna go into the Marconi Room?" Ren asked softly, earning a shrug from the woman.

"Don't rush things… the captain is right there, we can't just rush into the room like that." she replied. Miyaki kept her eyes peeled, seeing a corridor nearby with a sign that pointed to the Marconi Room. She tugged on Mallory's sleeve, earning her attention.

"Stay here and keep them distracted… ask questions about… that panel there." she said, pointing to the Bulkhead Door Indicator. The orange haired gardener gave her a nod. Miyaki took Giselly and Diego's hands, pulling them along. She let out a gasp of surprise, quickly turning around as a man walked out from that corridor.

"Captain, another ice warning." he said, holding the paper out to the man. "This one is from the Noordam."

"I see… thank you Sparks." the captain said softly, turning to the others. Before he could speak, the man said something else.

"We've been having some issues with the Marconi Wireless. Some of the messages aren't coming through. So we're going to have to shut down for awhile. Sadly, we don't know much about the Marconi System. Phillips and Bride are doing all they can."

"Oh! We know about the Marconi System!" Miyaki suddenly said, causing the man to look at her. Giselly looked at her, eyes wide.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. The girl leaned in to whisper.

"Play along," she winked. "Ahem yes… my friend Giselle is the friend of a man who's cousin knows about these systems. We've been around them before so we know all about them. Perhaps we may be of assistance?"

"We aren't sure… not to dissuade you or anything, but this is a very precious machine. Without it, Titanic will be without a radio. We can't have an ameteur break it more than it already is." the man known as Sparks said. Giselly rolled her eyes.

"What you mean to say is, because I'm a woman you don't trust me to do a man's job. I get it… it's too bad. I'm pretty sure the matter lies within the OT3 lines. Perhaps even the T-2 optics are out of whack and need to be realigned. Come along Miyaki, let us take a walk through the boat deck," she said firmly.

"Wait, miss…" Captain Smith called out, causing Giselly to turn around. "Do you truly know how to fix this machine?"

"Indeed. As my friend stated before, I know how these things are built and how they work. My father's friend works for Marconi after all."

"Sparks, take them to the Marconi Room. Explain to Phillips and Bride what is going on. I trust that they can fix it themselves but perhaps it would be good to have someone else with them." he said firmly.

"Aye sir. Come along ma'am. Your friend can come with you as well." Sparks said, turning around. Miyaki looked back to Mallory, Ren and Diego, giving them a wink and a thumbs up.

"You are insane, you know that?" Giselly whispered.

"Nah… I'm just smart… it's not my fault that I used my brain to get us to where we need too. And you claim that I'm an airhead because I'm blonde." she said, tossing a strand of hair over her shoulder. Giselly rolled her eyes.

The Marconi Room was quite large. The two girls looked around, seeing the hard oak paneling painted a glossy white. They could see various machines attached to the wall, wires of different kinds connecting to one large piece of machinery on the counter top. A large, cylinder of sorts was placed in the middle, two rods were facing each other, sending sparks between them. At least before one of the men brought the lever down and turned the machine off. He looked it over, a frown on his face.

"You said this would work Phillips."

"Pardon me, but I am trained in various things about the wireless system. It isn't my fault that you decided to take this bastard apart. This is Marconi's new technology, and if we break it, it'll come out of our wages."

"Phillips, Bride, I found someone who claims they can help you fix the machine." Sparks said, grabbing the attention of the two men. They turned around, surprised to see a pair of young women with the man. Bride laughed, shaking his head.

"You actually believe these two can fix this? Don't make me laugh."

"Believe it or not sir, I'm the only one you've got. My father's friend knows Marconi machines, and he's built them around me. I know these things inside and out. Now if you step aside, I'll be able to fix this bad boy, then you can go back to messaging your mother." Giselly said firmly, pushing the man aside.

"Well would you look at that, she's got quite a mouth on her. She might give you a run for your money!" Phillips said, earning a glare from his friend. Giselly hummed to herself, looking around the desk.

"I see… I see… so this is the issue." she said firmly. "_I have no idea what the fuck this thing is, what it does or how it works. Dammit Miyaki… why the hell did you get me into this?" _she thought, trying to keep calm. Miyaki on the other hand looked around the room, spotting an empty desk not far from the Marconi machine. She moved toward it, looking on the wall.

"Um miss… you shouldn't mess around with those items. It may cause a shortage, and if we lose this, then no one will get their messages. Even worse, we won't get crucial warnings about ice."

"Yeah yeah, I know. Stop breathing down my neck and let me work my magic. In fact, why don't you two take a break? I promise I'll have this thing put back together in a jiffy." the ravenette said.

"Leave you? Alone with this? Lass you don't understand how expensive this is… this machine is more valuable than that necklace around your neck." Bride said, earning a glare from Giselly.

"Well if you'd let me work then I could probably fix it. So until I am done, I don't want either of you here!" she said, snapping her fingers. Phillips grabbed hold of his friend.

"Come on friend, let's let them work. We have yet to have lunch anyway… we could use a break from all of those messages. If I see another man request another private train to pick them up, I will have a conniption,"

The two men hastily left, closing the door behind them. Giselly sighed, glancing at Miyaki who was still examining the table. "Jesus, can you think before you run your mouth? We could have gotten in trouble! I know jack shit about this thing!"

"Yeah, but I figure it won't matter if we find the console right? We can just fix it with that." Miyaki replied, finding an indentation in the wall. She pressed it, causing it to start glowing brightly. Almost instantly, a holographic console appeared before the two. "See? We're one step closer to getting out of here!"

"Yeah, if we can actually get into the system. Let's hope this hasn't changed at all." Giselly said softly, as she looked at the screen that had appeared before her. She tapped something on it, willing a keyboard to appear. She typed something in, only for a red bar to appear. "Shit! I think my credentials were changed… that means I have no access!"

"What? No no! We are so close… can't you use something else? A back door? Another code?" the blonde asked. Giselly began typing into the console, the soft clicks of the holographic keys filling the room. Several lines of code appeared before it, only for the screen to turn red.

"Well… the backdoor has been patched. The entreeway glitch was corrected and it seems like another firewall was added while I was dead, fantastic."

"So we truly are stuck here until the challenge ends?" the circus performer mumbled. She frowned, closing her eyes. "Damn… we promised everyone we'd get them out of here… if we can't do that, that means we're stuck here until we reach New York. And if that happens then… we might never get out of here!"

"Oh we are getting out of here. I have one last thing I can do. If I can't get in by hacking it, then I'll get in using someone else's credentials." Giselly said, a grin on her face. She swiped the screen down, activating the voice commands. "System Login, ID Fujisaki. Identification Code 009095049."

"_ID Accepted, Welcome back Master Fujisaki!"_

"Holy shit, that actually worked?" Miyaki cried out, earning a giggle from the hacker.

"Sometimes, the easiest way to hack into a computer is by typing in the password. Now let's see here… oh great."

"What?"

"It seems Jibo has changed the commands. The escape protocol that could be activated from within has been disabled. It seems like we can't enable it from the inside. Also, the Titanic seems to be following the course set by the original ship in the real world." she said, looking through the programming code. "Hmm... that's odd… it says here that the ship is set to disappear at 2:40 AM on the night of April 15th, 1912."

"Disappear… what do you mean by disappear?" the circus performer asked. "Does that mean he's going to set us free at that specific time?" she asked, earning a shrug from the hacker.

"I can't say for certain. But the program is set to activate at 11:40 PM tonight. It's not giving me the option to change it either. Whatever Jibo has planned, it's locked in and can't be changed from the inside."

"That's great… so we can't get out and we can't stop the ship from reaching New York. Can we at least change or alter its course?"

"Hmm… let me try." Giselly replied, furiously typing on the keyboard, only for the screen to turn red. "No dice. The course has been locked in, and the NPCs are the ones in charge of changing it. I can't change their designation levels and I can't make one of us higher than them, not only that but there's-" she paused, narrowing her eyes. "Hang on… what's this?"

"Did you find something?" Miyaki queried, earning a nod from her friend. She raised a finger, pointing to something on the screen.

"It says here that only 23 pods are synchronized with the Neo World Program and currently engaged. There are 12 unrecognized devices as well. I believe this corresponds to the participants as well as the ghosts. Aside from those 12 devices, only 4 others are hooked into the program." the hacker said, her voice filled with confusion. "If twenty-three of those corresponds to you guys, and the other twelve correspond to the ghosts… what do the last four correspond to?"

"Hey, are you ladies done in there? If we don't start working Cape Race soon we'll be swamped!"

"Oh uh… yeah almost! We're just putting the OT3 line back together!" Miyaki cried, racing towards the door. She looked back at Giselly, mouthing the words 'Fix it' quietly. Giselly hastily typed on the panel, resetting the Marconi Wireless back to how it was originally. It glowed for a brief moment, before sparking to life. She dismissed the console and sat down before the morse code machine, tapping it a few times.

"Alright you two, we got it up and running!" the blonde said, happily opening the door. Giselly gave the device a few more taps before standing from her seat.

"Gentlemen, here you have a fully functioning Marconi Machine. Now you can get back to messaging your mom!"

"Very funny lass," Bride snapped, as he took a hold of the headset. He cringed a bit, hearing the incoming dots and dashes. "The 'ell did you send this bloke… he's going on about fuckin his cousin?"

"I gotta go! I hope you two can finish up these messages! Have a goodnight!" Giselly said, taking a hold of Miyaki's hand, the girl gave the two one last wave before heading on their way.

_**xxx**_

"So you mean to tell me, we're stuck in here?" Ren asked, earning a nod from Giselly. The group had moved to the Palm Court, having given up on the tour.

"That's right. I've been locked out, not only with my own credentials, but with Fujisaki's. Everything has been changed, and as of now we are completely stuck here." the hacker said.

"Not just that, but we discovered something else. A special program is supposed to start at 11:40 PM tonight. The ship is also going to be deleted at exactly 2:40 AM tomorrow. We aren't exactly sure why, but we think Jibo is going to yank us out by then." Miyaki theorized, leaning back in her chair. "There's another thing. Giselly, I think you should explain."

"Right. There's something funny going on here. The system is registering 23 pods, tied to the killing game participants, as well as 16 unrecognized pods. I'm sure the unrecognized pods belong to the ghosts, but only 12 of them were registered as such. There were 4 others that were kept separate from them." she said.

"Why would they be kept away from the other pods?" Ren asked curiously. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Unless." Diego mumbled, grabbing their attention. "Unless those pods correspond to the hostages. 4 of them could be tied to the hostages. But, that doesn't add up… that means 3 of them aren't real."

"They're NPCs?" Mallory asked, a yawn escaping her lips. "That's the only other thing that I can think of right now."

"Why would Jibo add NPC hostages to this motive? What would be the point?" Giselly asked curiously. Diego cleared his throat, grabbing her attention.

"Have you ever stopped to wonder why no one has found any of the Golden Tickets?" he said, looks of realization appearing on their faces. "Perhaps those NPCs were programmed to find and dispose of those tickets. To prevent anyone of us from either coming back to life or leaving this island entirely."

"So… this motive is pointless?" Ren questioned, slamming his fist against the table. "Why the hell would he do that?"

"That isn't it… that isn't it at all." Miyaki said, swallowing the lump in her throat. "No… this motive isn't a motive at all. This is all a research test, like what he put us all through at the SCP Foundation Site. He's treating us like a sick experiment, probably testing our minds or some shit!"

"_Testing our minds?" _Diego thought, narrowing his eyes. "_The Stranger came to me when I came to this program, and claimed to have been with me before. Could it be that he brought me here to awaken this abomination?"_

"Diego… is something wrong?" Ren asked curiously. The man shook his head, taking a deep breath.

"You've given me a lot to ponder… perhaps we should take a break from all of this. We need to gather together later tonight and discuss our options. If this ship makes it to New York, we may never leave this program."

* * *

**Location: Parlor Suite (B-58) B-Deck**

**Time: 6:00 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

**(Lemon Squeeze)**

"Ah… holy shit! Give it to me harder you bastard!" Mariana cried, moaning in pleasure as Ashton continued pounding her snatch. The man panted for breath, his hand holding her legs firmly against the bed. He huffed, sweat soaking his forehead.

"You're so tight Annie, god why did we take so long to do this?"

"You were being an asshole~ Oh yes~ I'm about to cum!"

"Me too… ah… here it comes!" the treant cried, shooting his load deep into the manakete's waiting pussy. Ashton let out a groan, feeling each load shooting out of his dick. He continued pumping into the woman, causing her to scream in ecstasy. His hips were bathed in her liquids, finally ending their embrace. Ashton pulled out, laying down next to his sweaty dragoness.

"Hah...hah...that felt amazing."

"Tell me about it. I love you Mariana. You have changed my life." he said, placing a deep kiss against her lips. Mariana moaned, pulling away from the kiss.

"You only say that because I gave you my pussy. But I will admit, I've grown fond of you as well." she said, giggling. "Maybe when we get off this ship, we'll be able to have a comfortable life. It'll be hard, with the state of the world but I think we can make it."

"Don't worry sweetheart. We'll do fine in the real world."

"I know… but racial norms are so hard to face. We may be in a boom, but after the Civil War, things are going downhill in America. Not only that, there seems to be some political instability in Germany. Who knows what might happen in the future." the woman said, sitting up on her elbow. "I don't want there to be any problems sweetheart. I don't want something bad to happen to you because of your skin color."

"What… what are you talking about?" Ashton asked in confusion. "Mariana honey… this is all just a video game. We'll be out of here soon, I'm sure of it."

"What's a video game?" the dragoness asked, blinking furiously. "Is that one of those new machines that are being built? I've never heard of something so silly." she said with a giggle. "Oh… they're like those nickelodeon machines right?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" the treant asked, forcing himself to sit up. He struggled for a moment, his eyes being focused on Mariana's soft fleshy breasts. He shook his head, looking into her eyes. "Mariana, this all a game. None of this is real, and we aren't on the Titanic." he said. The woman reached an arm to him, a look of concern on her face.

"You must be getting sick. I'll get dressed and speak to the ship's doctor. We wouldn't want you to get pneumonia or something,"

"No!" he exclaimed, causing her to jump in fear. "Sweetheart listen to me… none of this is real! You are in a game. You are Mariana Nunez, the Ultimate Manakete. You are a dragon!" he said. The woman blinked a few times, bursting into laughter.

"Me? A dragon? Yeah right… have you been reading fantasy novels again? You must have read some of Mark Twain's works then." she said, wiping a tear from her eye. She pulled the sheets away, exposing her body once more to the man. "Come on, let's stop fooling around and start… fooling around."

"I… I think I'm going to take a walk." the man said, standing up from the bed. He hastily got dressed, not bothering to smooth out his clothes. "I'll be back soon to take you to dinner so… clean yourself up okay?" the man said, earning a sigh from the woman.

"Alright… but when we get back from dinner, you are fucking me senseless, is that understood?" she asked. The treant sighed, but gave her a smile.

"Yeah… definitely!" he said cheerfully, finally leaving his room. He leaned back against the locked door, brushing the sweat from his forehead. "Jesus Christ, what the hell is happening here?"

"Is something the matter Ash?" a soft spoken voice asked. His body stiffened, and he looked down, eyes widening.

A ten year old girl was standing before him, a curious look on her face. She had lighter skin than his, by several shades. Her long brown hair reached down to her shoulders, and was kept rather curly. She was wearing a rather fancy dress for her age. The man backed away, his breath hitching in his throat.

"You… you aren't real"

"Ashton? What's wrong? You seem rather sad… what's up big brother, you can talk to me if you want!" she said, trying to reach out to him. "Big brother?"

"No...Aliyah… you're dead! Those gangsters from The Brotherhood killed you, mom and pops! They killed Michael too… you don't exist anymore, you aren't fucking real!" he shouted, turning around. He ran down the corridor, avoiding a few stewards as he ran. He made it towards the B-Deck Landing, startling a few people who were waiting for dinner services to begin. He straightened up, calming himself down as he walked.

"_Look, it's that boy again. How was he allowed onto this ship?"_

"_Who knows? Perhaps he stole a ticket. Negros like him are thieves and beggars, just look at what happened in America. They lost their president because of people like him."_

"_Heh… he's probably waiting for the right time to assault someone. He'll steal the fittings from this ship and make a fortune. I'll stop him, I won't let the Grandest Ship in the World be defiled by this monster."_

"Fuckers… all of them are racist pieces of shit!" he hissed as he left the landing.

"Don't worry about them big brother, if you ignore them they'll ignore you!" Aliyah said, causing the man to growl. He looked at her, glaring into her eyes.

"You aren't real… get out of my face. You should be dead, you took three bullets to the chest and one to the face. I saw you… I saw you laying in a pool of blood with your brains on the floor. My beautiful little sister, who I loved more than anything in my life. I held you in my arms, I buried you and our family. You can't… you can't just come back!"

"_**Oh but they can!" **_The voice of Surrashakuma said, causing him to turn around. She gave the boy a smirk. "_**This is the true reason why you came to the AUP wasn't it? It wasn't to be turned into an Ultimate. It was so you can find a way to bring your family back. The question is, how did you even find information about Jibo's resurrection plans?"**_

"I...I found an informant." the man admitted, taking deep breaths through his nose. "Ignacio Murillo, I think that was his name. He told me about some tech that was stolen from Hope's Peak Academy. Tech that could bring people back to life through cloning. I came here with the DNA of my relatives to create clones. I… I'm a guilty man… I got my family killed because of my own dumb ass attitude." he cried, brushing his tears away from his eyes.

"_**Yes, you are guilty. Guilty of being a dumbshit douche-bag who does nothing but treat people like shit. It took one woman to change your mind, but you know in your heart that you are a useless piece of shit. Even now, you consider everyone around you useless sacks of flesh." **_the two-toned bear said, giggling. "_**But… you can still save your family."**_

"What… what do you mean by that?" Ashton asked.

"It's easy big brother… all you have to do is find the tickets! If you find them then you and I can play together again! Wouldn't that be fun?" Aliyah cried, hugging the man tightly. "We can play catch and go swimming and anything else you want!"

"_**She's right… so there you are. What will you do? Will you let your sister stay dead, or are you going to search for those tickets?" **_Surrashakuma said, sighing. "_**Honestly. I can't believe you idiots haven't been tearing this ship apart looking for them… oh wait...one of you has. Dylan Rufheiser… that one is quite angry. I believe he might have found a ticket, maybe he found them all? Who knows right?" **_the bear said, taking her leave. "_**Good luck Mr. Tree!"**_

Ashton grit his teeth, shaking his head. He felt someone take a hold of his hand, and he turned around, yanking it out of their grasp. He rubbed his eyes, seeing Alice standing beside him. She glanced at the little girl standing with them, a frown on her face.

"Ashton, is this little girl with you?"

"Yeah...she's my sister."

"Mhmm! I'm Aliyah, nice to meet you miss!" the girl said cheerfully. Alice nodded, reaching behind her back. She spun the knife around her hand, stabbing it into the little girl's eye socket. She let out a scream before exploding into pink mist.

"What… WHAT THE FUCK?!" Ashton shouted. He grabbed a hold of the blonde haired woman, pinning her to the wall by her neck. "You cunt… you fucking murderer!"

"She… wasn't… real...delusion." the girl hissed, trying to breathe. The man let go of her, causing her to fall onto the ground. She coughed loudly, focusing on breathing. "That little girl… she was… crafted from your grief."

"The hell are you talking about? Speak English you bitch."

"I am speaking English you pillock. Now listen to what the fuck I have to say!" she cried, glaring at the man. "I've figured out what this is… it's an experiment to mess with our minds. Jibo is running it for a reason which I myself am not aware of. However what I do know is that these delusions are dangerous. They are just memories crafted from your mind and given life by you."

"So… that wasn't my real sister… that was just a delusion that I made real?" the treant asked, earning a nod from the girl. "I'm… I'm sorry Alice… I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's quite alright. I was a member of Fenrir… I can take quite a beating. Believe me… it's been quite rough these last couple of days. I've been dealing with my own delusions." she said, brushing a hand through her hair. "We must be careful… especially because anyone can make anything real."

"Y-yeah… maybe we should tell the others, before something bad happens."

"Indeed… you go back to your dorm and get changed… you look like you spent an hour shagging someone," the veterinarian said, picking up the knife from the ground. She turned to the man who had a look of embarrassment on his face. "Oh… oh fuck… are you serious?"

"Keep this between us Alice, please!" the man cried, earning an eyeroll from the girl.

* * *

**Location: Bow (C-Deck)**

**Time: 6:00 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

Daisuke frowned as he stared out into the endless ocean. He had been searching the ship for Charlotte the entire afternoon. However, the Titanic was like a labyrinth. It seemed like, no matter how many times he searched for her, he wasn't going to find her. He even went as far as asking Vanessa where she was. The girl eagerly told her she was on the Boat Deck, but by the time he had gotten above deck, it had been too late. He had rescinded his search, deciding to instead come to the bow. He was leaning over the railing, arms wrapped around the wire that held the mast in place, a far off look on his face. The ship chugged on, slicing through the water at great speed, her wake could be seen trailing behind the steamer. The afternoon was beautiful, the sun was setting at the right angle, giving the sky a beautiful orange and purple hue.

He closed his eyes, memory of what had happened earlier still fresh in his mind. He couldn't believe his own delusion had become a reality. He didn't want to see Hiyoko, especially not like that. His brain had tricked him into thinking of her, and this program had made her a reality. Not only that, but Junko had become real as well. He clutched his head, rubbing his temple.

"_I wasn't expecting Sparkling Justice to come out. It was just a mask… a book that I read to get myself into the killing mood. Why… why the hell did you do this to me?" _he thought, frowning. "_I bet you it's because of her right? She was the only other person that knew I was Sparkling Justice… she told you to make him real and you did… you sick bastard. It won't be long until I get out of here. And when I do, I'll serve you a heaping plate of Justice!"_

"No!" he cried out, pulling himself out of his thoughts. "I wanna get out of here…"

"Hello Daisuke," a voice said, causing him to jump. He whirled around, almost falling as he met eyes with Charlotte. He grabbed a hold of the Mast Cable, keeping himself steady.

"Erm… hello Charlotte."

"My sister told me you were looking around for me… is something the matter?" she asked, a look of concern on her face. "I was taking a walk on the promenade and looked up here. It was uh… kind of obvious you were here, in retrospect."

"Why?" he asked, brows furrowing.

"Um… your mom told me you've seen Titanic like 700 times right? I figured you'd come here at least once," the siren said. He nodded, glancing back out to the ocean. "Y-you know… Titanic is one of my favorite movies too… I sadly don't remember how it ends though. This game is messing with my mind,"

"Me too." he replied. "_More than you even know."_

"So...why is it that you were searching for me?" She asked, brushing some hair over her ear. "It must be important if you've been searching the whole ship."

"Oh right… I want to tell you something."

"Me too… you first. Whatever it is you wanna say is clearly more important than what I wanna say." She giggled. He nodded, standing firmly before her.

"Right… I wanted to apologize to you. About what happened on the Poop Deck." He said, rubbing his neck. "Me and mom were talking about this whole situation. Then Kenzie came out of nowhere and confessed her feelings to me,"

"So that's what that was?" The girl asked, causing him to nod. "I feel kinda dumb now. I've been… a bit confused this entire time."

"I know, and I wanted to say that I am sorry. I probably made you think a lot of weird things. Especially after what I said to you on the first night, and after I held your hand. It's just-" he paused, taking a deep breath. "I haven't let her go yet...Hiyoko I mean." Daisuke said firmly. Charlotte remained silent, the ocean waves served to calm her down.

"I can't say I understand how you feel. I've never been in a relationship myself. I get it… Hiyoko was special to you. The possible love of your life and she-" the woman sighed, not knowing how to explain herself. "- You honestly deserve better than her. Someone who is weak willed and falls into despair like that doesn't deserve your time, even after death."

"I know that! I can't keep pretending that I-"

"Let me finish!" Charlotte exclaimed, causing the man to jump a bit. She grinded her teeth together, her cheeks flushed pink. "Daisuke, I don't know why I am here. I don't know if it's this ship, this motive or my own heart betraying me. But this is something I need to say."

He remained silent, not knowing how to react. It was clear that Charlotte was nervous. By how she fiddled with her dress and how she tapped her foot against the deck, he could tell this was important. He could almost feel her anxiety levels spiking. Her eyes firmly shut, as she continued to think quietly to herself. Finally they opened, those soft aquamarine pools glimmering in the setting sun.

"I think it's time for you to let her go." She said firmly. "You have too, for your sake. If you don't, she will keep eating at you like a plague. It hurts, believe me. But it is for the best… you don't want to become some deranged person because of this affection. She's dead, nothing can bring her back… you could even say, she's been dead since she turned to despair."

"She was my everything." He mused, leaning back against the Mast Cable. "We dated for two years. She was a spry little thing. Short tempered, not blooded and very pranky. I think I fell for her the moment she threw an egg at my face."

Charlotte couldn't help but giggle. She walked a bit closer to the man, entranced by his story. He sighed, continuing on. "There was this charm about her that made her so entrancing. How could someone so small dance so beautifully? The first Christmas party of the year was held for the joint 77th class. I held it at my house, for laughs."

"Let me guess, you confessed your feelings by the firelight?" She asked, causing him to nod in agreement.

"Mhmm… during a winter storm no less. My sister was already asleep and mom was watching movies. I decided then and there to confess and lo and behold, she liked me back. I had my first kiss on that night." He said cheerfully. "The next year was great. She had a growth spurt, became a beautiful young woman and I fell in love more as the days went on. Soon, I had proposed and well… that was that."

"Erm...I hate to ask but… what happened next?" Charlotte asked, entranced by his story.

"She picked the bad ending route. I should have seen the signs. She became friends with Junko far too quickly. Had her wrapped around her finger… she became cruel, callous… evil. Her pranks didn't have the same mischief as before. They were serious, she enjoyed watching people suffer. She turned into someone else,"

He closed his eyes, memories of his fiancee filling his mind. He could still hear her voice. "Days before everything happened, she disappeared. The Parade took place and Hope's Peak found itself facing destruction. I was meant to be among the 48 that locked themselves inside the Old School Building, but I was gone on a trip. By the time I had returned to Japan, it was too late."

"How did you find out? That I was Junko I mean?" The siren asked curiously. He chuckled dryly, eyes moving to the horizon.

"Let's just say, this isn't my first time meeting Jibo. I had met him beforehand, during the Hope's Peak Killing Game. Hiyoko tried inviting me to join her in space. I refused… Jibo tracked me down and as per Hiyoko's final wish, I was brought here. No doubt she wanted him to break me,"

"That's rather unfortunate." She said softly.

"Ha, no shit." He said jokingly. She rolled her eyes, placing a hand on his arm.

"This is why you need to let her go. All of this stigma surrounding her, will only get you killed. You mean a lot to me Daisuke, you are a close friend. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you," she said, smiling. It faltered after a second. "Then again, I do owe you for that bonk to the head I gave you."

"Nah.. in fact, I think that bonk made me think clearly." He admitted, earning a confused look from the girl. He took a hold of her hand, pulling her along. "Come on, I want to show you something."

"H-huh? What are you doing?" The girl cried, startled.

"Do you trust me?" He asked, she remained silent, staring into his eyes.

"I trust you."

He said nothing as he wrapped his arms around her waist, helping her up to the railing. He stepped onto it himself, quickly finding his balance. Charlotte had closed her eyes, taking deep shaky breaths to keep herself calm. Daisuke leaned forward, his lips close to her ear.

"Open your eyes."

The girl slowly did, a gasp escaping her lips. She was looking out over the ocean, seeing nothing but the waves, being parted by the prow of the ship. Daisuke slipped his hands under her arms, slowly lifting them up.

"It feels like I'm flying." She whispered, throwing her head back slightly as the cool breeze brushed against her face.

_"Somebody shine a light…_

_I'm frozen by the fear in me_

_Somebody make me feel alive _

_And shatter me_

_So cut me from the line_

_Dizzy spinning endlessly_

_Somebody make me feel alive _

_And shatter me~" _

Charlotte smiled, feeling her heartbeat quicken as he continued humming the song. Ever so slightly, she moved her head, glancing at him. She lowered her arms, slipping her hand into his own. They continued staring at each other for a moment before she took the plunge, pressing her lips against his. He stiffened a bit, but unlike with Mackenzie, this one was different. He felt overjoyed, ecstatic about it. She wrapped an arm around his neck, deepening the act. The setting sun shone over the two.

They didn't care that they were on the ship of dreams. They didn't care that there were passengers looking at them. All they cared about then and there, was each other. Nothing would spoil this moment.

Neither knew that this was going to be the last time Titanic ever saw daylight…

* * *

**Location: Parlor Suite B-68 (B-Deck)**

**Time: 7:00 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"Are you sure Tsumugi came this way Sayaka? This doesn't sound like her." Kanemoto said, earning a nod from the idol. She looked around for a moment, avoiding some of the stewards and passengers straggling around in the corridors.

"We're sure she came down here. The light of Atua is never wrong!" Bethany said excitedly. Her sister Angie giggled, shaking her head.

"My, was I this delusional back in Hope's Peak?"

"Yes." The idol deadpanned, her anxiety increasing. "Tsumugi was saying something about Princess Piggles or some shit. It was anime related, she also claimed to have spotted the mascot from Madoka Magica. She was coming with me to the First Class Dining Saloon for our dinner meeting when she took off."

"I will admit, these delusions are beginning to mess with my own mind." Ethan said, keeping pace with the girls. "I saw my deceased wi...girlfriend not long ago. Not only that, I heard Daisuke mention something about seeing his deceased fiancee. I believe this game is messing with our minds, we're beginning to tread the line between reality and fabrication."

"Doctor Momota must be messing with our minds." Angie said, a frown appearing on her face. "Though I've spent time with my sister, I've had my own struggles with delusions. I can see Gundham walking around, skin and face melted, walking around covered in wax."

"Big sis, why didn't you say something? Perhaps the words of Atua could have eased your burden!"

"I apologize Beth, but those are monsters I've got to face on my own." She mumbled softly. "I saw Hiro as well… his body was littered in holes and he was trailing blood everywhere, mumbling my name."

"Jesus Christ. What the fuck is Momota thinking? Fucking with our minds like this?" Kanemoto snapped angrily.

"I take it you saw someone too?" Ethan asked, causing her to sigh.

"My girlfriend Rin. I was in my bedroom when it happened. I will admit, she became real because I was stupid."

"How so? I'm certain whatever you did wasn't that bad." Sayaka said. Kanemoto flushed pink.

"I was erm… touching myself. I imagined Rin there with me. I could almost feel her licking me, ramming me with one of our toys. Next thing I know, there she is. I thought she was real, until she tried to kill me."

"Oh… that would have been bad. Everyone knows Snu Snu often leads to death." Angie said.

"Sister! Do not be so uncouth around Atua! He will punish you for eternity." Bethany said, holding back a flush.

"It is quote alright, dear sister. My love of Atua may have lessened a bit however. I'm not as fearful as I was. Just enjoy the world a bit, don't let the responsibility of being an Oracle let you from seeing the world around you!"

"I-" the girl paused, giving her sister a smile. "Okay sis! I'll do that, for serious!"

"I'm starting to seriously wonder what is going on here. Is everyone else seeing delusions too?" the Cryomancer queried, his eyes shifting around the corridor.

"Who knows really? This is just to mess with our minds. Whatever the case may be, we have to find her. I lost her half an hour ago, at 6:30. I came down to the Dining Room to let you all know and then came back as soon as I could. I've examined these corridors but on a ship of this size, it's impossible to find someone." Sayaka replied. Kanemoto was about to say something when she glanced over her shoulder, noticing one of the nearby doors was cracked open.

"Is something wrong Kanna?" Ethan asked, causing her to swallow the lump in her throat. She shook her head, glancing back to the door.

"_Of course there is… you are working for the enemy! Now Tsumugi is missing and the door to the room you were at is open. What the hell do you want me to say you fuck?!" _she thought angrily to herself. She didn't know why, but she was compelled to walk into the room.

"Kanna?" Angie asked, as she grabbed a hold of the door. She pushed it open, her eyes widening in surprise.

Laying before her was a ghastly scene. The entire room had been overturned, as if a hurricane had gone through it. Looking at the carpet, she could see splotches of bright pink blood, seeping into the plush carpet. She took another step into the room, a scream leaving her lips.

On the ground before her were various bodies, in a wide assortment of positions. She could name them all just by looking at them. The first had been Aikeno Orion, the woman had been laying on her side, her throat having been cut open with a knife. Her eyes were glassy and her face was filled with fear. Next to her sat Shidou Hanao, the man looked like he had been strangled to death, a cord having been wrapped around his neck. Weiss and Gehrig were also in the room. Their bodies had been heavily mutilated, as if they had died fighting against something. In fact, several mirror shards were on the ground, around them, the object in question lay on the ground, its frame being completely broken.

The final two victims caused Kanemoto to scream again, this time bringing Sayaka and Ethan into the room, both having similar reactions. The body of the former Ultimate Cosplayer lay on the nearby bed, completely naked, her chest cavity having been opened. Her internal organs had been spilled around her, her arms and legs had been tied to the bed posts. A look of horror was written on her face, her final moments were not pretty.

The last body that was in the room belonged to the Ultimate Fairy, Felicks Mlynarz. His body had been the least touched out of everyone else's. In fact, he seemed as if he was sleeping. His body seemed virtually untouched, but the angle in which his neck was resting made it seem as if that was his cause of death. The Pokemon Trainer started sobbing, feeling the bile rising up from her stomach. It wasn't long before she was hurling its contents onto the ground.

"No way… this can't be happening… Tsumugi." Sayaka mumbled. Ethan slammed his fist against the wall, growling in anger.

"Dammit… how could someone do this?"

"_**Ahem… attention Passengers of the Titanic… or rather, Participants of the Hora Island Killing Game. This is a system wide announcement. Several Bodies have been discovered… my my my, it seems some of you were busy busy bees! Within the next 5 minutes, special Student IDs will be generated for everyone still alive. A class trial will be held after sufficient evidence is gathered… Oh and to light a fire under your asses, I'm giving you until 8:00 PM on the dot to gather information. That's exactly an hour, so you better mosey on and gather that information! Time's a wastin!" **_the cheerful voice of Surrashakuma cried out. It seemed as if only the participants had heard it, because various people passed by the room and no one batted an eye.

Whatever the case was, someone had struck, and it had been violent. The killing game had started once more, and it had taken a lot of victims this time. More than they had ever hoped to see.

* * *

_**xxx(End of Act 9)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 22**

**Ghost Peeps: 11**

**Hostages: 3**

* * *

**A/N: Hoo boy this chapter was long. God my back is killing me, I've literally been sitting for hours just finishing this fucker up. I have no idea how the hell I did it but I did**

**I would like to thank Bellatrixshine for sending in Felicks. I loved writing for him, and he had a very interesting back story. I hope that I portrayed him right. I'm sincerely sorry Bella, I didn't want it to be Felicks but this was out of my hands. I had my friend draw names from a hat and that's how he was selected as a victim. In fact, that's how everyone in this chapter was selected as a victim, so anyone that wasn't specified to have a certain death in House of Horrors, could have died here. Just know that I didn't do it because I wanted too. Thanks again Bella, and I hope you don't punt me into the sun later~**

**Shoutout to Prince PokeSona and JCW who's OC's Haruna and Reukra had the cutest scene in this chapter. (They're the reason this chapter was extended further than it was originally :D) I would also like to give a shoutout to my friends Crit Fail, and PettyPunk for being awesome. We restarted Oasis and I'm super excited to get back into the swing of things! Let's keep it up everyone!**

**And as a last message, let us have a moment of silence for my dearest Maribelle, who met her end in Versailles. She may be gone but she is not forgotten… parasols are deadly weapons...fear them, for you may die at their hands.**

**Well… The investigation is next chapter, so that's neat… let's hope it isn't as long as this one… bye!**

**Seriously… over 14,000 words… what the fuck! I try to write less and end up writing more, how the fuck does that happen?**


	25. C2 Act 10: The Ship of Nightmares

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 10

The Ship of Nightmares

_**xxx**_

**Location: Reception Room Vestibule**

**Time: 7:00 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"I cannot believe this shit is happening," Daisuke said, leaning back against one of the support columns near the entrance to the staircase.

"Is this seriously happening? Someone actually killed in here?" Shiro asked, glancing around the room, giggling. "I can't believe someone actually had the balls to do that!"

"Shiro, try to be more careful. We don't know who's dead right now." Mackenzie said sternly. "It could very well be your sister you know," the painter continued, earning a frown from the girl.

"If someone dares to even touch a hair on her head, I will stab the shit out of them. And that isn't a threat."

"Fuck me… I can't believe this!" Diego snapped angrily, as he walked down the stairs onto B-Deck. He was followed by Ren, Miyaki, Giselly, and Mallory.

"I'm glad to see you guys!" Charlotte said, a look of relief on her face. She was even more relieved when her sister Nessa came onto the landing, hugging her sister tightly.

"Big sis! You're alright! I'm so happy you are still here with me!"

"Me too kiddo." the girl softly replied, hugging the girl back.

"Hijo." Maria said softly, grabbing Daisuke's attention. He threw his arms around her, a sigh of relief leaving his lips.

"Mama… I'm glad you're alright."

"I haven't seen Aikeno all day. She was going to spend it with her son and Haruna. We normally convene at 4 for tea, but she missed that time." she said softly. Daisuke swallowed the lump in her throat.

"We should… we should probably take roll call, make sure everyone is here." he said softly.

"Ugh… I can't believe I have to waste my time on this shit." Lars snapped angrily, as he slammed the B-Deck Promenade doors closed. "I can't even enjoy the fucking sunset without some asshole deciding to off some mother fucker."

"You know, we could do without your attitude." Giselly snapped, glaring at the man. "All you've done these past few days is sit around, drink and smoke cigars. So if you don't give a fuck about what's going on here, then feel free to leave. I'm sure the Smoking Room will serve your needs."

"No one leaves." Diego said firmly, causing the group that had gathered to look at him. "Everyone of us here is a suspect. I trust that none of us are capable of killing someone. However, after the last time, we can't take too many precautions."

Everyone remained silent, not exactly knowing how to reply to the man. The NPC passengers were walking around, silently asking why such a large group had gathered. A few moments passed, and Dalila entered the room, followed by Seisha, Eris, Nyx, and Alice. The five of them had worried looks on their faces. Alice looked around for a moment, asking the question no one had an answer to.

"Do we know who it was that died?"

"Sorry Alice, we're pretty much in the dark. We don't know anything, Surrashakuma said we would get some generated Student ID's that would contain the information we need. We can only hope whoever it was had a swift painless death. Though knowing the state of this game, I hardly think it is," the storyteller said. He felt someone take a hold of his hand, and looked to his side, seeing it was Charlotte.

"I hope that's the case too… no one needs to suffer in pain."

"Should we get alibis ready?" Eris asked, earning curious looks from the others. "It would be good to know where each of us was. That way, we'll have more time to investigate the scene and not waste what little time we have searching this massive ship for clues."

"She's right. If that's the case then I'll go first. Me and Nyx were having tea in my suite. I did briefly step out to get some crumpets from Cafe Parisien. I ran into Ashton in the hallway, our meeting was brief but we went on our way not long after."

"Diego, Miyaki, Ren, Mallory and I were on the Palm Court. We took the Titanic tour earlier trying to access a control panel located in the Marconi Room. Miyaki and I were able to get into the system, but we weren't able to change much or get us out. Afterward, we decided to wait on A-Deck until dinner." Giselly said.

"Seisha, and I were in the reading room. He asked me to read him a story, so we spent most of the day there. We met up with Eris just as we left the room." Dalila explained, earning a nod from Seisha.

"Miss Dalila was very kind to me. She read me, Moby Dick, it's such a good story!" the boy said happily, as he still clutched the book in his hands.

"I don't have an alibi sadly. I was taking a walk through C-Deck hoping to clear my mind." the Gorgon said firmly. She glanced at Nessa, who was still holding onto her sister's hand. "What about you? I think I heard you say something about the pool?"

"That's right. But I went there by myself, so I don't have anyone to back me up." the curly pink-haired girl replied with a frown. "Even then, it wasn't me who killed them. It would take me awhile to go from F-Deck to B-Deck, even using the lifts. You'd clearly be able to tell if it was me,"

"It doesn't matter honey. This is a video game, meaning anything can and will be able to happen. Who knows? Maybe you were capable of doing it after all." Lars said, holding back a chuckle. "For all we know, you and your cunt of a sister could have worked together. Maybe you even found some tickets to get off this island?"

"Porque no cierras tu puta boca? All you ever do is antagonize people. If you don't have anything to say, then don't fucking say anything." Daisuke said, stepping up to the man, glaring in his eyes.

"Oh? Is the storyteller going to do something about it? Are you mad that I called the siren and her sister a cunt? Because that's what she is. A useless sweaty-" the man didn't even finish his insult, as the storyteller silenced him with a punch. Lars stumbled back, confused for a moment, only to take a second punch right to the mouth. "Ack!"

"You talk like that about my girlfriend again and I will knock every single tooth out of your face. I will make you swallow each and every one!"

"Son… don't do this." Maria said, grabbing hold of Daisuke's wrist. "This is what he wants… he wants you to get angry. Don't give him the satisfaction. You worry about yourself and those closest to you."

"Pfft." the man spat, covering the pristine white tile with pink blood. "What about you madam? What were you doing on the night of April 14th? Killing someone perhaps?"

"Hijo de tu puta madre." the woman hissed angrily at the man. "I don't have to tell shit to the likes of you. But for your information, I was in the Gymnasium with Ibb and Riku. We were there until the dinner alarms were sounded. We split up just before the system-wide announcement. They headed to their rooms while I headed down here."

"Then all three of them are innocent of this. Especially since I remember seeing Maria, Ibb, and Riku entering the Palm Court for a brief moment before splitting up." Miyaki added, giving the woman a smile.

"She's telling the truth, I saw them as well." Ren said, corroborating his friend's statement. Lars shrugged his shoulders.

"Like I give a shit, one of you fuckers did it. And I'm truthfully going to enjoy seeing you all die. The best of humanity all gathered together on the Ship of Dreams, in order to put one of their own to trial. What an upset!" he said with a laugh. "Oh wait… we aren't even the best of humanity. We're just some bumblefucks who got turned into monsters and shit by an insane doctor! Ha! Even better!" he laughed, as he made his way out of the landing.

"I really hope he dies," Charlotte said, glaring at his retreating form. Daisuke gave her a questioning look, his brow raised slightly. "I...I what I mean to say is… I" she stammered, unable to get the words out.

"Big sis… earlier Daisuke said you were his girlfriend, is that true?" Nessa asked quietly. Charlotte blushed bright cherry red.

"Erm… I went to look for him and ended up finding him at the bow. He showed me how to fly, my feelings poured out of me and I finally had the courage to kiss him."

"That also proves to be our alibi. We didn't return to the First Class Entrance until just before the system announcement." the man said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Eeeee!" Miyaki cried, causing everyone to cringe. A nearby man's glass ended up breaking from how high pitched her screech was. "You two are so fucking cute together!"

"Goddamn girl, are you part dolphin or something? Jesus my fucking ears." Eris cried, earning a laugh from Giselly.

"Didn't you know? One of Miyaki's circus routines was animal calls. She has the most accurate dolphin call in the world. In fact, she thinks she can speak dolphin."

"I don't think I can, I _know _I can." the girl boasted. "In fact, I think Peter was going to get a dolphin for our show. I know Kitty was having a conniption because "Cat's don't like water" even though Tigers are excellent swimmers and-"

"Kiki sweetheart, you are ranting," Shiro said, causing the woman to flush."Any-hoo… me and Kenzie here were admiring the art in the First Class Lounge. She's been feeling a little down since Dais gave her the shaft."

"Shiro!" the girl cried out in embarrassment. "It wasn't like that… I confessed and he didn't feel the same way. Which reminds me, I'm sorry Charlie, I didn't mean to make things awkward between you two!"

"O-oh it's fine… I still see you as a little sister. Besides, I'm sure there's more fish in the sea, as they say." the siren replied.

"So yeah… since Kenzie was feeling down, I decided to hang out with her. We walked around the promenade and like I said before, ended up in the lounge. We were there when the announcement was given. Nothing really special happened," she said, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. "So Dais I was wondering, when are you going to give Charlotte your shaft?"

Daisuke took a breath, about to angrily answer the question when three loud beeps filled the Grand Staircase, all of which were ignored by the NPCs.

"_**Ahem, attention all participants of the Killing Game. The time now is 7:10 PM. As of now, the student ID's containing information on our beautiful murder scene, are located in your pockets! Get to it or else you'll lose a lot of time! Have fun hunting!" **_the voice of Surrashakuma cried, causing everyone to freeze in place. No one knew what to do, not wanting to say or do anything. Finally, Diego decided to examine his pocket, finding the black cell phone like device resting within.

He booted it up, eyes widening in shock. His hand shook slightly as he scrolled through the information he was given. He finally looked up from the screen, looking at the others who gave him expectant looks. He looked to Daisuke, gesturing for him to follow.

"What's up?"

"It's bad… really bad," he said. Before he could even say anything, Miyaki's scream filled the staircase.

"DAD!"

"Holy shit… six people?" Dalila said, holding her hand to her mouth. "Who would do something like this?"

"Daisuke!" Giselly cried, getting his attention. He saw the circus performer was on the ground, visibly shaken. Sobs wracked her small frame as she clenched her eyes tightly shut, muttering things under her breath. "You have to find who did this!"

"Why me? I don't have any experience from this shit… we barely got through the last one, you actually think I can figure this one out?" he cried back. Giselly gave him a firm look, glaring into his soul.

"You have kept everyone together practically since the beginning. So buck up and figure this shit out! I have full confidence in you!" she said. He felt someone take his hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

"She's right Dais… I believe in you too… I'm sure you can figure this out." Charlotte said. He swallowed hard, giving the woman a nod.

"_Seriously… why the hell does everyone think I have what it takes to solve this shit?" _he thought, hearing a laugh in the back of his head.

"_Because boy… you are the Shining Star of Justice. You exude my aura, that's why they all gravitate to you whenever someone dies. Because it is your duty to bring their killer to justice… it's high time you did your job. Unless you want me to take over?"_

"No… I'm going to do this by myself, I don't need your help." he muttered angrily under his breath. Charlotte gave him a look of confusion, but said nothing as she glanced at the reports.

**Alice's Account has been added to your Truth Bullets**

**Giselly's Account has been added to your Truth Bullets**

**Dalila and Seisha's Account has been added to your Truth Bullets**

**Maria's Account has been added to your Truth Bullets**

**Charlotte and Daisuke's Account has been added to your Truth Bullets**

**Shiro and Mackenzie's Account has been added to your Truth Bullets**

* * *

**Location: Parlor Suite (B-68)**

**Time: 7:10 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

**Victim File #2: Felicks Mlynarz**

**Cause of Death: Broken Neck**

**Time of Death: Approximately 6:50 PM**

**The victim was found by Sayaka Maizono, Kanemoto Mizuki and Ethan Gold in Suite B-68. He only suffered one injury, a broken neck.**

**Victim File #3: Tsumugi Shirogane**

**Cause of Death: Unknown **

**Time of Death: Approximately 6:47 PM**

**The victim was found tied to the bed within suite B-68. She shows various forms of trauma, including blunt force trauma to the back of her head, disembowelment, organ mutilation, and signs of sexual assault. A true cause of death cannot be identified.**

**Hostages are not official participants, thus their deaths do not follow the importance of those above. While Tsumugi wasn't a participant, she was given a motive, thus is counted as a victim. Good luck finding clues~ Surrashakuma.**

"Atua forgive me. I wasn't able to spread your teachings to these people before they passed on. I apologize, as your Oracle, I promised to spread your message around the world. I have failed and because of that, these people are all dead."

"Hey, hey!" Kanemoto cried, causing Bethany to help in surprise. "Look, I like ya and I respect ya. But don't start spouting that Atua bullshit here. We don't fucking need it!"

"Let's not let petty sentiments get in the way of our search. We've got a lot of work to do is we wish to find enough evidence." Ethan said, moving toward Felicks. He knelt before him, feeling around his neck. "Okay, the victim file matches up with the scene."

"So his neck was truly broken?" Angie asked, a grimace on her face. "Why is that? Looking around the room, you can see the carnage. Why is he the only one that got this type of death?"

"Perhaps it was a mercy death?" Sayaka asked, earning odd looks from the others. "Think of it this way, what if he was at the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"That wouldn't match up with the rest of the scene. Maybe the person who did this was running out of steam and decided to snap his neck." The cryomancer said. "Whatever the case may be, at least his death was swift. The same cannot be said about the others."

**Victim File #2 has been added to your Truth Bullets**

**Victim File #3 has been added to your Truth Bullets.**

**Felicks' death (Mercy?) Was added to your Truth Bullets. **

Angie moved toward the next two bodies, being the ones belonging to Holland Gehrig and Kinzo Weiss. Their bodies had been heavily mutilated, to the point where the only way to recognize them is by the tags they had around their necks. Their faces were destroyed as if bludgeoned by something. Their knuckles were bloody and mangled, having hit something hard. Bethany knelt next to them, uttering a small prayer.

"Sister dear, do you see something here that catches your eye?" She asked. Bethany opened her eyes, looking around the floor.

"Not really. Aside from the mirror shards and their crushed heads. It looks as if they were beaten to death. If we had their victim report-"

"But we do not. Meaning we need to solve this without them. Look at the mirror share there, what do you see?" Angie asked. The younger girl looked at the share, seeing the reflection of the ceiling. Her eyes widened as she looked up.

There was blood spatter all over the ceiling. The intricate Mother-of-Pearl designs were soaked with blood. Small dots peppered the ceiling, being heavier in other areas and lighter near the back of the room.

"There's blood on the ceiling. Meaning… someone used something to kill these two. They struck them in the head and continuously brought it down. Every time they lifted it up, the blood would spatter on the ceiling!"

"Exactly. And while Tsumugi's face is still recognizable, she has signs of blunt force trauma. There may be some correlation between the two." Angie said firmly.

**"Weiss and Gehrig's deaths was added to your Truth Bullets**

**Ceiling Blood Spatter was added to your Truth Bullets. **

"Big sis, who do you think could have done This? They must have been really angry at someone or something for all of this to occur." Bethany said, earning a sigh from the former artist.

"I cannot say, dear sister. All I do know is that someone brought all of these people together for a reason. That person saw it opportune to kill them all in one fell swoop." She replied, resting a finger on her chin. "Perhaps something lead to that? I know there is something amiss here but I do not know what."

Kanemoto moved towards Shidou and Aikeno. To her, they were the most tragic victims. Of course, she thought this due to their children being aboard the vessel. Shidou was resting against the back wall, a cord wrapped around his neck. She poked it with her finger, feeling it closely.

"What the hell is this? I've never seen anything like this before." She mumbled to herself. A shiver went through her and looked up, seeing the doors to the private Promenade were open.

_"I'll examine you in a moment." _She thought as she glanced down at Shidou. She noticed something golden sticking out of his pocket. She reached for it eyes widening a bit. "This is… the corner of a golden ticket?"

Only a piece of it remained. She dug into his pockets but found nothing. She looked the ticket over, spotting the letters RMS on the top corner. Aside from that, there was no writing on it. She frowned, placing the corner inside her bra.

_"I'll keep that for evidence. If seems to me as if someone came here and killed him for this ticket. But if that's the case, why leave just a corner in his pocket?" _

Her gaze fell down to Aikeno. She was such a kind woman. She clearly loved her son. Seeing her laying there with her throat cut made her stomach spin. She closed her eyes, a memory filling her mind.

_"Leave the sick girl, Charlie's sister and Miss Del Rio alone. They're good people…"_

_"I'll keep that in mind." _

"Nico… did you actually go through with this?" She asked herself slowly. She shifted her eyes back to Shidou. "Wasn't Nico strangled to death in her killing game? Maybe she… not but she's so tiny. I doubt she could have actually done that."

**Golden Ticket Corner was added to your Truth Bullets. **

**Nico the potential killer? was added to your Truth Bullets. **

**Nico's cause of Death was added to your Truth Bullets.**

Feeling another cold breeze, the brunette slowly stood up, opening the door to the private Promenade. She took a deep breath, her lungs filling with cold air. She took a few steps forward, rubbing her arms.

"Damn sleeveless dresses. Why the hell does Rinrin like seeing me in these so much?" She said softly to herself, a warm mist leaving her lips. She noticed nearby planter had been tipped over.

The plant was still in place, though wilted from being thrown sideways. She noticed the side of the planter had been pulled off. The soil had been spilled all over the deck as the wooden boards had been pulled apart. She traced her finger over it, finding it slightly sticky.

"This planter was put together with glue and resin. The side was pulled off by someone. Could that black cord around Shidou's neck be the resin?" She said softly to herself. Her eyes glanced down to the deck, spotting a few splotches of blood. "Blood… whoever killed everyone in there came out here. It's possible the murder weapon was ditched."

**Planter's Missing Corner was added to your Truth Bullets **

**Planter's Resin was added to your Truth Bullets **

Before she returned inside the room, Kanemoto looked at Ethan, who was speaking with Sayaka. She grit her teeth, feeling her anger beginning to boil.

_"That bastard… he's in bed with Surrashakuma and Jibo. He's been feeding them information from moment one. But so is Lars… those two asshats probably did this. They may have even forced Nico to take part in this shit. I'll keep this to myself until the time is right. I wouldn't want to reveal my cards too early."_

**Kanemoto's Witness Report [Can only be used by her] has been added to your Truth Bullets. **

"I wasn't expecting Tsumugi to end up like this. She had changed, she really had. She wanted the best for all of the ghosts on the island. She always made sure we were doing well mentally." Sayaka said, frowning. "How could someone do this to her?"

"I'm not sure Sayaka. All I know is that someone did her and Felicks in. We need to find as much information as we can. It's the only way we will win this case. The last thing we need is another sacrificial roulette."

"R-right." She said softly, approaching the bed. She did her best to stay away from the blood. She didn't want her feet to be soaked with blood. "She has bruises around her ribs. Right below the cut." She said, pointing to the violet mark on her skin.

"Hmm…" Ethan mumbled, feeling her side. He felt her ribs moving around, causing him to pull his hand back. "Her ribs are broken. Whoever attacked her, hit her with enough force to break them."

"Her file says she has signs of blunt force trauma. Even if her head is only mentioned, I feel like this could also be part of that." The idol said.

**Tsumugi's broken ribs was added to your Truth Bullets. **

Ethan spared a glance at Aikeno, before turning back to Tsumugi. Both women had something in common, cuts to their body. Cuts that could only be made with a blade. Sayaka sighed, looking away from her deceased friend.

"I wonder if she was okay with this. If a person dies and becomes a ghost. That's that. But if a ghost dies, then I'm sure it's permanent."

"Have you noticed anything? Both Aikeno and Tsumugi have similar wounds." He said, earning an incredulous look from the idol. "What I mean is, both can only be caused by knives."

"You think a knife was used to cut Tsu open?" The blue-haired beauty asked, earning a nod from the cryomancer.

"I believe that's the case. It's not that hard to get a knife from the dining room and carry it with you." He said, narrowing his eyes. "I wouldn't put it past someone to actually do something like that, especially with the Golden Tickets being involved."

"So someone grabbed a knife, killed everyone here and left? I don't buy it!" Sayaka said, pointing to her friend. "What about that? It's clear Tsumugi was raped."

"Sweetie, I know you are angry but don't throw a tizzy with me. I'm just as lost as you are and am trying to come up with a solution!" He said firmly. He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, this shit is just stressing me out."

"How do you think I feel? I thought that I was done with these damn Class Trials, yet here I am again. God, I'm starting to wonder if I was brought here just to suffer some more. As if dying twice was bad enough."

"Mom!" A familiar voice cried, making the two jump at its sheer volume. Reukra had shown up, eyes focused on the unmoving body of his mother. He took a couple of steps forward, falling onto his knees. "Mommy?"

"Reukra… I'm afraid your mom is-" Angie was cut off by his shouts.

"No! She isn't. She can't be… we were gonna get out of here together. Mom! Mom!" The not cried, shaking the woman, trying to get her to move. Haruna made it to the room, panting a bit from the run. She gasped at the sight.

"Aikeno?" She mumbled, slowly approaching the body. Reukra was hugging her body tightly, sobbing audibly. The Supreme Hostess felt her heart jump into her throat as she knelt down next to the boy.

"Haruna, she isn't dead, is she? She's just sleeping right?"

"Reu… honey." She liked her lips which had become abnormally dry. "Aikeno is… your mother is gone. I'm sorry."

The young man broke into tears, burying his face into Haruna's chest. She wrapped an arm around him, holding him tightly. It didn't take long for Miyaki to arrive as well, spotting the body of her deceased father. Ethan looked away, growling under his breath.

_"People shouldn't have to see their loved ones like this. Ursula… lend me your strength."_

* * *

**Location: Reception Room Vestibule (D-Deck)**

**Time: 7:20 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

Having taken Reukra out of the Parlor Suite, Haruna decided to head down to the Reception Room. it was bustling with people, all of them getting ready for dinner. The music was lively and quite calming. The duplicator was still sniffling, hugging her frame tightly. She was sitting in one of the decorative couches, a few drinks before them. Haruna wasn't one to like alcohol, but she knew now was the perfect time for some. She had given Reukra something light to calm him down, and thankfully it was working.

"Haruna."

She glanced away from her glass, seeing the worried looking faces of Evan, Hikaru, and Rei. The three former Ultimates, and fellow ghosts. Tsumugi's death had hit them hard. Even though she had been a member of despair, they had all come to see her as a friend. Someone who could guide them through their undead existence and hopefully help them find peace. The hostess frowned, looking away from them.

"You have my condolences. I wasn't expecting Tsumugi to be among those victims… I'd appreciate it if you left us alone for now. Reukra isn't doing well right now."

"We understand, we'll be quick. We're gathering alibis, trying to piece this together. Would you mind telling us where you two were?" Rei asked, holding out a notepad. The pinkette nodded, a small smile on her face.

"Me and Reukra had tea with Miss Aikeno earlier. We were set to go to the Turkish Baths, and we returned to our suites to change. I decided to ditch her and take Reukra on a little excursion through the ship. I realize now if I hadn't ditched her, she'd still here with us."

"Haruna you can't say that. Anything could have happened… think of it this way. Whoever killed Aikeno clearly had a reason to do it. They may have even attempted on your life and Reukra's as well." Hikaru said, earning a glare from the woman. "I know you don't want to hear it, but be glad that you are alive."

"That is the most insensitive thing you could ever say, Hikaru. You could have worded it a lot better than this." Evan said, glaring at the man in anger.

"It's fine." the soft voice of Reukra said, sniffling as he looked up. "I get what Hikaru is trying to say. I'm happy to be alive… but I don't think I can live without my mom. I finally got her back and now she's gone."

"It'll be fine sweetie." Rei said, placing a hand on his cheek, wiping his tears away. She gave him a bright smile. "Loss is something that we all have to go through. But just remember, they aren't truly gone. They'll always be here with us, in our hearts."

"She's right. I wish I had learned that lesson when I lost Rei during our killing game. I'd probably be alive to tell the tale." Hikaru said with a laugh.

"Regardless, I'd like to share our whereabouts. Rather, our separate ones. I was on the Poop Deck when this murder occurred. Quite far from where it took place. However, since no one was with me, it's a rather weak one." the former mythologist said, glancing at the coupe. "These two, however, were going at it like bunnies."

"Hawawa... don't say it like that!" Rei cried, a flush on her cheeks. Haruna giggled, shaking her head.

"You should embrace those moments Rei… believe me, if today didn't end as it did, I'm sure I and Reukra would have taken that step before. There was a lovely car in the Cargo Hold that we could have used." Haruna said, causing Reukra to blush.

"Haru!" the boy stammered, balling his fists. "W-we're not at that stage yet! I know you are older than me but that doesn't give you the right to take it that far!" he said. Haruna rolled her eyes, giving him a kiss on the lips.

"Oh, I'm going to have fun taking your innocence."

Rei bit her lower lip, glancing at the nearby band. Several of them were playing on some very expensive looking violins. Hikaru could see her fingers twitching slightly. He gave her a small push, a grin on his face. "Go on, I'm sure they'll let you join."

"O-okay." she said, taking a few cautious steps toward the band, thankfully just as they finished playing. The leader of the band smiled warmly.

"Good evening miss, do you have any requests?"

"Um… would you mind if I played a song? I'm a violinist and it's been a long time since I've held one." she said. The man chuckled, turning to one of his friends.

"I'm reliving you for a bit, go on and get a drink. I think this little lass can stick around for a song or two." he said. The man nodded, handing her his violin, wishing her luck. The girl sighed contently as she looked the instrument over. Ever so slightly, she rested it against her chin, placing the bow on its strings.

"Do any of you gentlemen know Paganini Caprice Number 1?" she asked, earning incredulous looks from them. "Ah… by those looks, I can tell you do."

"That is an incredibly hard piece to master, you claim to be able to play it?"

"Indeed sir, I happen to be the Ultimate Violinist. Sit back, relax and listen to this beautiful song." she said, in an almost boasting manner as she began to play.

"She's amazing isn't she?" Hikaru said as the soft music started to fill the Reception Room. Haruna shook her head, glancing back at Reukra, who had remained silent.

"Reu… are you going to be okay?"

"It will be hard… but Mom wouldn't want me to sulk for too long. I'm going to find the bastard who did this to her Haru, and when I do… I'm going to make sure they die for their crimes." he said firmly. Haruna nodded, giving him a loving kiss on the cheek. She didn't want to ruin the moment by speaking, but she was growing concerned about Reukra's changing attitude.

**Haruna's Account was added to your Truth Bullets**

**Rei and Hikaru's Account was added to your Truth Bullets**

* * *

**Location: Parlor Suite B-68 (B-Deck)**

**Time: 7:30 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"Weiss… Gehrig." Ibb said softly, as she knelt before her deceased friends. "I'm sorry… I wasn't a good friend to you was I?"

"Hey, they're deaths aren't on your head. We'll find whoever did this, okay?" Riku said firmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded, giving him a hug. He closed his eyes, not wanting to stare at the carnage before them.

"Who could have done something like this? Felicks was such a gentle person… he didn't deserve this!" Mariana snapped, anger flowing through her body. "If I could turn into a dragon in this shithole, I would burn the bastard that did this to death. I would tear him a new one with my claws! I would make sure every single bone in their body was broken!"

"Mariana, this isn't helping." the Ultimate Treant said, frowning as he examined Felicks body. Despite the state he was in, he had a smile on his face. He grit his teeth in anger. "Dammit… I was such a dickhead to you. We finally started becoming friends and this happens… I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

"This is all quite peculiar." Miya said once she had gotten an initial survey of the room. "The state of this room is telling me a lot of things, but all of them are hard to place together."

"What do you mean by that?" Riku asked, turning to face the Missing Persons Investigator. "I thought you only dealt with Missing Persons cases?"

"I do, but that doesn't mean I don't dabble with other forms of investigation. After all, my true aim is to become a Forensic Investigator like Saiko-chan!" she said excitedly. She cleared her throat, looking down at her notes. "Anyway, I was examining this scene with a fine tooth comb and I found a lot of things that don't make sense."

"Like what exactly?" Ibb asked. Miya moved towards the back of the room, near where Gehrig and Weiss were laying. She knelt down before all of the glass shards and started moving them around. It took her about two minutes, but she was able to piece them all together, as best as she could.

"This mirror is broken into various pieces, but look at the middle. There's a gap open isn't there?"

"Yeah and?" Ashton asked, crossing his arms. "Just because there's a piece of glass missing doesn't mean anything."

"Actually it does." the young woman said, slowly rising to her feet. "Aikeno and Tsumugi have similar wounds. A slash to the neck for the former and a… well that for the latter." she jabbed her thumb at Tsumugi, not wanting to look at her.

"You mean to tell me, someone used a mirror shard to kill these two?" Mariana asked, a look of contempt on her face. "I don't think that's possible. Wouldn't the one who used it have cut their hand?"

"Not necessarily. If they use it correctly, they wouldn't need to, not to mention they could have used a glove to hold the shard. Whatever the case, this opens up the possibility of someone using that as a weapon." Miya said, glancing around the room. "I've found everything I could in this scene. Nothing truly stands out to me, with all of the bodies laying around. But hopefully, someone else found something that we can use."

"Something isn't adding up here though." Riku said eyes narrowed as he surveyed the scene. He noticed several other things were out of place. On the other side of the room, a few life belts had been left strewn about the floor. One of the tables had been knocked over as well. He also noticed the door to the sitting room was tightly locked. "Someone must have been in the sitting room next door."

"Why do you say that?" Ibb asked curiously. "The crime took place here."

"That doesn't mean it couldn't have started next door. Maybe the hostages were over in the sitting room. In comes the killer, threatening them. They move to the bedroom, while someone else, maybe an accomplice, locks them in."

"If that's the case, couldn't they have left through the entrance? Or even barricaded the Promenade Deck door?" Ashton asked. He crossed his arms, shaking his head. "I don't think someone was in that sitting room, it doesn't make sense to me."

"Well, there's no way we could take a look in there. The door is locked and the sitting room can only be accessed from this one. Whatever the case may be, that room is out of our grasp." Miya said, closing her eyes.

**Mirror Shard Knife? has been added to your Truth Bullets**

**Locked Sitting Room Door has been added to your Truth Bullets**

Ashton frowned as he longingly looked at Felicks, shaking his head. Mariana took hold of his hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I was adopted… me and my sister Aliyah." he said softly. "We were taken in by this wonderful family. The Stevensons. Alissa and Richard, along with their son Michael. I hated them… I truly did. Everyone in the orphanage always passed me and my sister up, because I was a tall black boy and my sister was too much to handle. In comes this white rich couple, looking to adopt a couple of kids because of the mother's cervical cancer."

"What happened to them?" Riku asked curiously. Mariana already knew the story, but she didn't find the heart to tell it. Ashton sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"They were killed by a rival gang. The true reason why I didn't like Felicks, why I insulted him and pushed him away, was because he looks like my brother Michael. Down to his skin color and his attitude. He was a good kid, smart, kind and in AP classes, likely to be the Ace Valedictorian for some rich academy in Washington State. Goddamn it, I wish I told him not to come down for vacation, he shouldn't have been there…"

"It will be okay… we'll get out of here, find those gangsters and burn them to ashes. I promise you that Ashton. I will get us out of here…" Mariana said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Despite her stature, Mariana was able to manage the tender action.

"Yuck! Ew… why do people insist on kissing each other? Don't they know that spreads germs around?" Miya asked.

"You won't be saying that when you find a cute boy and start macking lips with him, nya!" Riku said, giving her a wink.

"Oh frick off you stupid house cat!"

* * *

**Location: Starboard Promenade Deck (First Class Entrance)**

**Time: 7:40 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

Nico was standing nervously in front of the First Class Entrance. The sun had gone down by now, only the last few remaining rays were visible. The skies were starting to darken and the stars were starting to appear. The Ultimate Guesser took a deep breath, filling her lungs with cold air. A few officers had passed by her earlier, saying they were entering a cold front as they strayed away from the Northern Pass. She figured they were trying to avoid icebergs as much as possible. She had yet to see any elusive chunks of ice floating beside the ocean liner.

"Wel well well, if it isn't my favorite girl in the world!" the voice of Dylan said, causing Nico to jump in surprise. She whirled around, her braid falling off her shoulder as she spun. The boy had a grin on his face, as he closed the distance between the two. "Why aren't you checking out the murder scene? Scared?"

"I am not." she said firmly. "I've already figured out who the killer is. It wasn't hard to guess with the information that's been gathered by everyone else."

"Oh, I see! And how guilty are you on the list of suspects?"

"What do you want?" the silver-haired girl cried, squeezing her eyes shut. "You haven't stopped taunting me since that night."

"That's because you weren't able to keep your end of the bargain. Oh, wait… maybe you did!" the teenager said, giggling. "It was you who offed those hostages, wasn't it? It was so methodical too… my guess is that you did it quickly, in order to be done with them. If that's the case then who did Tsumugi and Felicks in? Any guesses?"

"I didn't do it." Nico snapped, glaring at the Cuban. "I didn't kill anyone. I haven't been inside the ship since the Church Service this morning. So you can stop blaming me for this. For all we know, it was you who killed all four of them. Probably for those goddamn tickets!"

"Eh… I don't think so. Why would I need to kill for a ticket? When I have 4 of them in my possession?" he said, reaching for his back pocket. He flashed the four tickets, all of them being in the style of RMS Titanic tickets. "All of that anger, all of that was just an act sweetheart. To make those idiots _think _I was the killer if a death did happen."

"But why… why would you go through with something like that?" the guesser asked. She shook her head a moment later. "No, I think I get it now. You want a sacrificial execution, don't you? That time that Tsumugi couldn't find you, you were in the Class Trial Courtroom watching that trial!"

"Bingo, Yahtzee! Is that the final answer? Our survey says… ding ding ding! You are absolutely correct!" Dylan said, bursting into laughter. Nico narrowed her eyes in anger, her teeth gnashed together. She was breathing roughly as the adrenaline coursed through her body.

"You… you are everything that's wrong with our world. People like you are disgusting, and only live to make everyone else suffer. If you have those tickets then go! Get the hell out of here, no one wants you here!" she shouted, causing the boy to stop laughing.

"Jeez, what crawled up your vagina and died? Oh, wait, nothing. You died a virgin, you loser!"

"So did you, you fucking asshole!" Nico shouted, pointing a finger at him. "You wanna know something, here is an accurate guess of your entire life. You were born to parents that didn't love you. You probably have a sibling that got my love from them than you. You decided that you wanted their attention and failed at every moment. Due to being unloved and abandoned, you decided it didn't matter. You said 'fuck my parents' and became a smarmy douche-bag." she cried, panting in anger.

"Shut up." the boy hissed angrily.

"You probably do the things you do because you feel alone. You died alone, no one loved you. Even your so-called friend and confidant stabbed a knife in your eye. You act all tough and mighty and antagonistic because it makes you feel better. It reminds you that you are still alive in some form. But at the end of the day, you are worthless. You have nothing in your chest, nothing but a shriveled up heart filled with hate. You will never, _ever _experience love with someone, because you cannot feel it yourself. You died alone, and for the rest of eternity, you will be alone. So have fun with your new lease on life Dylan Rufheiser. I truly hope you enjoy what some of us aren't capable of having… you fucking asshole." she paused, taking one final look at the boy. "Honestly, your mother should have thrown you out and kept the stork."

With that, the Ultimate Guesser took her leave, leaving behind the shocked Cuban boy. He said nothing as he turned around, walking in the other direction.

"That chick needs to get laid. Poor thing will probably never get to experience the wonders of sex."

Nico growled as she stomped down the Grand Staircase. She didn't care that people were looking at her, those that got a good look at her steered clear. She was never one to get angry but Dylan had driven her over the top. She didn't even regret a single thing she had said. She made it down to the bronze cherub, looking at its gentle face. She didn't know why, but she wanted to break it. She pulled her fist back, about to throw a punch when someone grabbed a hold of it. She whirled around, pulling it out of their grasp.

"Don't touch me!" she cried, throwing her fist forward. It collided with someone's jaw, causing her to cry in pain. "Ow…"

"Well, I wasn't expecting someone to punch me today, especially after I hit Lars." Daisuke said, rubbing his lower jaw. He moved it slightly, rubbing his skin. "Damn girl, you've got a killer left hook."

"Daisuke… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you!" the girl said, bowing her head apologetically.

"It's fine sweetheart. You clearly seemed to need it, though I would advise you to head to the Gymnasium and use the punching bag in there." the storyteller said jokingly.

"Honestly, I think you sort of needed that punch. Maybe now you can think clearly instead of talking about how you'll punch Lars the next time you see him." Charlotte said jokingly. She fixed the scarf around her neck, resting it around her shoulders. "Now then, why is it that you are so pissed off Nico? You are among the gentlest ones here."

"It's just… this whole murder has me on edge. I never thought I would be involved with something like this again. I thought… that after the class trial on the space station, that I wouldn't have to face this again." she said, chuckling. "I guess even in death I have to face my fears."

"I understand what you mean Nikki. I had hoped that after Isabella's trial, we didn't need to face something like that again." Daisuke said, sighing. "Alas, life always throws you a curveball no matter how much you'd want to avoid it."

"Ugh… my hands are sweaty." Charlotte mumbled, tugging on her gloves. "Why do these have to match my outfit so well? I don't even like gloves."

"I see you two are… consorting with each other now. You make a cute couple." Nico said happily. Daisuke smiled, wrapping an arm around Charlotte.

"She convinced me to let go of the past. I have a bright future ahead of me now… once we solve this case, all we have to do is get out of this island. We'll be able to hopefully save our friends."

"Well… I'd like to get to know you better. Ideally, I want to know what I am getting myself into. Though you are a hot-blooded Spaniard. I'm sure you have a lot of stories to share about your life in Spain." the siren said, giggling. Daisuke chewed the inside of his cheek.

"Hehe… yeah. Stories."

Nico couldn't help but smile. However, what Dylan had told her on deck had really gotten to her. She remembered the ticket she had secured in her stocking. Her only chance of getting her life back. She was honestly thinking about shredding it and sending the pieces flying through the cold air of the North Atlantic. But now… she was second guessing that choice. Ironic, since the Ultimate Guesser never second-guessed herself. One comment did stick out to her, and made her angry and embarrassed at herself.

"_What crawled up your vagina and died? Oh, wait, nothing. You died a virgin, you loser!"_

"Nico, what's wrong? We've been asking you questions for the past three minutes. You just spaced out." Charlotte said, placing a hand on her forehead. "You don't seem warm… maybe a glass of water will do. I'll head to the Reception Room and get one."

"I have a request from you two." Nico suddenly said, causing the two to stop.

"A request?" Daisuke asked, tilting his head in curiosity. "Hmm… that's the first time I've heard someone ask for a favor in that manner."

"What is it? Do you need help with something? Are you having a crisis because you'll become a ghost again?"

"This… I guess a request like this is going to sound really really contemptuous but. You two are the only ones I can trust with something like this." the silver-haired girl said, causing the couple to share a look.

"It must be serious if you trust someone like me. Especially since we don't know each other that well," Daisuke mused. "Just speak your mind, if it's within our power, we'll do it."

"Mhmm… so go on, tell us what you need." the siren added cheerfully. Nico took a deep breath, shortening the distance between them.

"Charlotte… if it's okay with you. Would it be alright if… you let Daisuke turn me into a woman?"

"What?" the two exclaimed, surprised at her words. Nico grabbed grit her teeth, shushing them loudly.

"Don't do that!" she hissed. "I want to keep this between us… please… I died before experiencing one of life's greatest pleasures. I can only guess as to what it feels like. I trust Daisuke more than I do anyone else here!"

"Why? I don't think we ever met before this." the man said, tilting his head in confusion. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see if he could remember her. "Nope… I don't recall ever meeting you."

Nico pushed her glasses up her nose, a slight flush on her cheeks. "Um… do you remember a story called 'Tokisaki's timeless treasures?'"

"Tokisaki's what?" Charlotte asked. She looked at Daisuke who had a flush on his cheeks. "Do you know what it is?"

"Y-yeah… it's a book that I wrote when I was seventeen. Hiyoko dared me to write it okay? She said that I wouldn't be a well-known author if I didn't write something like that. So I told her I would. It became one of my passion projects. 425 pages of nothing but...nothing but…"

"Nothing but hot raunchy sex." Nico said, the blush on her cheeks reddening. "I met you during a signing for a book called "The Golden Princess" which you based off of your little sister Erika and her pet dog Snowflake. I was the only one who brought this book, and you got really mad at me. It was a limited release and I had been able to get a personalized hard cover that I wantedto get signed. I couldn't help but look at you different from then on."

"Jesus Christ." Charlotte mumbled dryly. "You sick perverted fuck. This is how you fucking use your talent? To write smut?"

"It was a fucking dare!" Daisuke shouted, a look of embarrassment on his face. "It was meant to be private. But Hiyoko sent it off to my publisher, next thing I know, they're fucking advertising the fuck out of it. That's why I yanked it off the shelves so fast. I bought every single copy and burned it in my backyard." he spat, sighing. "How you got a copy of that is beyond me…"

"Which is why I'm asking you. I've actually been wanting to speak to you about it before. Now that I have a body, for however short a time it is, I want to enjoy myself. Please, Daisuke… could you at least think about it?" the guesser said, making the bow swallow the lump in his throat.

"I'm sorry Nico… I consider you a friend now but… I'm with Charlotte now."

"I… I understand."

"Hmm… actually…" the siren said, causing the two to look at her. "We are on the ship of dreams, and these bodies are avatars. Why not have a little fun?"

"Charlie… you heathen!" the storyteller said, earning a glare from the girl.

"Hey… at least this time I'm getting involved, unlike that time you kissed Mackenzie."

"She kissed me, woman! Ah!"

"Nico… I'm not sure how long this trial is going to be or what's going to be happening afterward. But if we have time… I promise you, we'll turn you into a proper woman before you return to being a ghost." she said. Nico smiled, hugging the girl tightly.

"Thank you, Charlotte… that's all I ask. It was the one wish I never got to fulfill when I was alive."

"_Jesus Christ… why is it that girls gravitate towards me? Even in high school, I had Kikiro and that Lion Tamer after me. Did Hope's Peak make a mistake? Or am I secretly the Ultimate Romantic too?" _the man thought, rubbing his chin. "_Well… I am a writer, that's probably it."_

"_I dunno about that… I believe you are just a total chad."_

"_Shut up Sparkling Justice." _

"_Hey… I didn't do anything wrong. Sparkling Justice is just here to serve Justice, he's just doing his job." _the voice said, causing the man to grit his teeth.

_**Ding Ding Ding Ding**_

"_**Ahem… this is a system-wide announcement. It is now 8:00 PM. The investigation is officially over. I hope you all have found all the information you require. Head to the Lifts on B-Deck and await further instructions. Toodaloo!"**_

"It's time… let's hope we can put this entire matter to bed." Daisuke said, earning nods from the two girls.

* * *

**Location: Lifts (B-Deck Landing)**

**Time: 8:05 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"So… what do you think is going to happen now?" Ren asked, looking around at the group that had gathered before the lifts.

"The thing that happens when murders take place. We're going to have a Class Trial." Evan replied, earning a chuckle from Lars.

"I would have thought you two would know that by now. Seeing as you are killing game veterans… or wait… should I call you failures? Yep...going with failures."

"Do you talk just to hear yourself speak?" Giselly asked, earning a small giggle from Miyaki, who was still recovering from the loss of her father. Lars shrugged.

"I just love hearing myself speak. I also love hearing myself insult people… cunt, bitch, twat, asshole!" the demonologist said, pointing at various people as he insulted them.

"I really hope he dies today." Charlotte said, earning a sigh from Daisuke.

"Whatever the case may be… we cannot deny that many of us died tonight. Let us work together to find the killer. I believe it is the only thing we can do. We'll be able to leave this program after the trial. Then we can go our separate ways." Diego said firmly.

"I think that would be for the best. It's clear that none of us work well together. If the tickets are the only way that we can get off Hora Island, then we should focus on finding them and getting out of here. I know I'm not risking my sister's life for any of you." Shiro said firmly, holding Miyuki's hand tightly.

"I know you care about your sister Shiro, but splitting up is a horrible idea. Especially with that monster that is causing havoc on the island. We should stick together… for now at least." Alice said an almost fearful look on her face.

"I'm sure we have enough evidence to convict the person who did this. But even with all of it, we weren't able to hone in on a single person. This trial is going to be a repeat of the last one, I just know it." Riku mumbled, frowning. Ibb sighed, crossing her arms.

"I'm sure I'll be able to find the one that killed my friends. I will make sure they suffer in the pits of hell."

"I'm doing the same for the one who killed my mother. You aren't getting away with it." Reukra said, glaring at everyone in the group.

"I didn't get to say goodbye to my father… all I want is to find the one that did this, and make him feel every ounce of pain and fear that he must have felt. They deserve no mercy from us." Miyaki added, clenching her fists.

"Alright! That's what I like to see… this is gonna be a fun trial!" Dylan said, chuckling. "Yes indeed! It's going to be the most fun one yet!"

"_**At least one of you is excited about it!" **_Surrashakuma said, appearing behind the group. She stepped forward, a grin on her face. "_**I shall be the Master of Ceremonies for this one all by myself. Jibo, Syd and Saino will be watching closely from the outside. It's going to be fun… I get to push the button like big brother Monokuma!"**_

"You disgusting bear. How can you take enjoyment from the deaths of people?" Dalila cried, causing the bear to look at her.

"_**Believe me, honey, I wasn't always like this. But I was recently shown the beauty of despair, all it took was splattering to the ground a terminal velocity to see it. Eh… that's a story for another time! Let's go…!" **_she said, pressing the lift button. The doors began glowing as they all joined together. They turned into one large lift, capable of fitting them all. "_**Everyone file in, chop chop! We don't have much time!"**_

"You seem to be in a hurry. Why is that?" Mackenzie asked, earning a giggle from the bear.

"_**Let's just say, things are about to get exciting on the Ship of Dreams. Then again, in a few hours this puppy is going to be something a lot more nightmarish than you can ever imagine! Kukukuku!"**_

Everyone remained quiet as they got onto the lift. The operator wordlessly spun the dial, closing the gates. The elevator started moving downward, ferrying them towards the Class Trial Court Room. Daisuke tightened his hold on Charlotte's hand, giving her a confident smile. Maria looked between them, a proud look on her face. She shifted her gaze forward, her mind whirling with worry.

"_So this is what it's like to be part of a Class Trial. I don't think this is a novelty I'd like to experience. I'll make sure my son gets out of this one alive. I'm sure the evidence we have is enough to find this killer…. I hope." _she thought to herself.

The doors opened a second later, revealing a rather large room. All around them lay whirling machinery, large arms moving up and down at a feverish pace. The sounds of turbine engines could be heard, filling the entire room. Despite how loud the machines were, voices could still be heard, as workers ran around, doing various duties. The stands were neatly arranged in a circle, with enough seats for everyone, ghosts and hostages included. Photos of Felicks, Isabella, Jose, Weiss, Gehrig, Aikeno, and Shidou were placed there as well, with bright pink X's on their portraits. For Jose's picture, devil horns formed the X, while Felicks had a pair of Fairy Wings on his, and Weiss and Gehrig had the words Keter and Euclid written on their own.

"_**Welcome one and all to Titanic's Engine Room! It is here where the magic happens. The superstructure is powered by all of these engines. Powered by highly pressurized steam. Without these bad boys, this ship wouldn't move anywhere. And it shall be the site of Hora Island's Second Class Trial. Who would have thought… veterans and hostages in one killing game? I'm so fucking excited!"**_

"Your excitement aside, we need to solve this murder and quickly. I grow tired of coming down here." Diego said, sighing as he took his spot.

"We should review our information first… it's the only thing we have left to do." Eris said firmly. Daisuke placed a hand on Charlotte's looking at everyone in the room. They all have various expressions on their faces. Some of fear, some of confidence, and others of pure enjoyment. He swallowed the lump in his throat, closing his eyes.

"_I'll make sure we all arrive at the truth. This time, I have to give it my all. I cannot let another sacrificial roulette take place. Losing any of my friends, Charlotte...Shiro, Mackenzie… mom… I don't think I could go on if I lost any of them. I'll make sure of it… I'll make sure the one responsible for this crime is brought to justice!"_

* * *

_**xxx(End of Act 10)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 22**

**Ghost Peeps: 11**

**Hostages: 3**

_**xxx(Truth Bullets)xxx**_

**Victim File #2: Felicks Mlynarz**

**Cause of Death: Broken Neck**

**Time of Death: Approximately 6:50 PM**

**The victim was found by Sayaka Maizono, Kanemoto Mizuki and Ethan Gold in Suite B-68. He only suffered one injury, a broken neck.**

**Victim File #3: Tsumugi Shirogane**

**Cause of Death: Unknown **

**Time of Death: Approximately 6:47 PM**

**The victim was found tied to the bed within suite B-68. She shows various forms of trauma, including blunt force trauma to the back of her head, disembowelment, organ mutilation, and signs of sexual assault. A true cause of death cannot be identified.**

* * *

**Alice's Account- She's and Nyx shared tea in her room. Alice met with Ashton for a brief moment.**

**Giselly's Account- She, Miyaki, Ren, Mallory, and Diego were in the Palm Court on A-Deck**

**Dalila and Seisha's Account- Dalila and Seisha spent the day reading "Moby Dick"**

**Maria's Account- Maria, Riku, and bb were in the Gymnasium just before the announcement**

**Charlotte and Daisuke's Account- Charlotte and Daisuke were on deck until before the announcement**

**Shiro and Kenzie's Account- The Two were in the First Class Lounge admiring the art**

**Felicks' Death (Mercy?) Could his death have been an attack or a mercy killing?**

**Weiss and Gehrig's Deaths- Angie believes that they were bludgeoned to death. Could she be right?**

**Ceiling Blood Spatter- Signs that Weiss and Gehrig were bludgeoned to death**

**Golden Ticket Corner- Kanemoto found this in Shidou's Pocket. Did he find one or?**

**Nico the Potential Killer?- Due to Secret Circumstances, Kanemoto believes Nico to be the killer, and with good reason**

**Planter's Missing Corner- This piece was pulled from the Planter. Could potentially be the murder weapon.**

**Planter's Resin- Could be what was used to strangle Shidou**

**Tsumugi's Broken Ribs- Tsumugi has various broken ribs, perhaps from the killer**

**Knife (Potential Murder Weapon?)- Ethan believes a knife may have been used to kill Aikeno and Tsumugi**

**Haruna's Account- She and Reukra were below decks Smooching**

**Rei and Hikaru's Accounts- Oh they fuckin'**

**Mirror Shard Knife- There's a piece of glass missing. Could this be a weapon?**

**Locked Sitting Room- This door is locked, perhaps by the killer.**

* * *

**A/N: Well here is the chapter. I hope it has all of the information you need to hone in on the killer. Hopefully not, or else the class trial wouldn't be fun to read eh?**

**Also, I would like to say… Happy Despairaversity to LoD! ANH has been up for a long time now! It's thanks to this story that Isle is even a thing! Even now, I hold a lot of love and respect for that story. Crit Fail is a beast! Thanks for creating this dude… without you, I don't think I'd be surrounded by a community of such wonderful people! Ayy!**

**Now I leave… I must attend…WWE and meet… JOHN CENA!**

**(Trumpet Sounds)**

**Update: 11:56 PM- I didn't meet John Cena, but I got a high five from Bayley.**


	26. C2 Act 11: The Ship Nightmares

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 11

The Ship of Nightmares

_**xxx**_

**Location: Titanic's Engine Room (Class Trial Court Room)**

**Time: 8:10 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

* * *

_**xxx(Truth Bullets)xxx**_

**Victim File #2: Felicks Mlynarz**

**Cause of Death: Broken Neck**

**Time of Death: Approximately 6:50 PM**

**The victim was found by Sayaka Maizono, Kanemoto Mizuki and Ethan Gold in Suite B-68. He only suffered one injury, a broken neck.**

**Victim File #3: Tsumugi Shirogane**

**Cause of Death: Unknown **

**Time of Death: Approximately 6:47 PM**

**The victim was found tied to the bed within suite B-68. She shows various forms of trauma, including blunt force trauma to the back of her head, disembowelment, organ mutilation, and signs of sexual assault. A true cause of death cannot be identified.**

* * *

** Alice's Account- She's and Nyx shared tea in her room. Alice met with Ashton for a brief moment.**

**Giselly's Account- She, Miyaki, Ren, Mallory, and Diego were in the Palm Court on A-Deck**

**Dalila and Seisha's Account- Dalila and Seisha spent the day reading "Moby Dick"**

**Maria's Account- Maria, Riku and Ibb were in the Gymnasium just before the announcement**

**Charlotte and Daisuke's Account- Charlotte and Daisuke were on deck until before the announcement**

**Shiro and Kenzie's Account- The Two were in the First Class Lounge admiring the art**

**Felicks' Death (Mercy?) Could his death have been an attack or a mercy killing?**

**Weiss and Gehrig's Deaths- Angie believes that they were bludgeoned to death. Could she be right?**

**Ceiling Blood Spatter- Signs that Weiss and Gehrig were bludgeoned to death**

**Golden Ticket Corner- Kanemoto found this in Shidou's Pocket. Did he find one or?**

**Nico the Potential Killer?- Due to Secret Circumstances, Kanemoto believes Nico to be the killer, and with good reason**

**Planter's Missing Corner- This piece was pulled from the Planter. Could potentially be the murder weapon.**

**Planter's Resin- Could be what was used to strangle Shidou**

**Tsumugi's Broken Ribs- Tsumugi has various broken ribs, perhaps from the killer**

**Knife (Potential Murder Weapon?)- Ethan believes a knife may have been used to kill Aikeno and Tsumugi**

**Haruna's Account- She and Reukra were below decks Smooching**

**Rei and Hikaru's Accounts- Oh they fuckin'**

**Mirror Shard Knife- There's a piece of glass missing. Could this be a weapon?**

**Locked Sitting Room- This door is locked, perhaps by the killer.**

* * *

"**Let's begin with a brief explanation of the class trial rules! You all have to work together to find the blackened participant. Each of you will-"**

"None of us need to be told how this works. We've been through a class trial before, and those that haven't have surely seen them on television. Let's just get this over with." Diego said firmly, glaring at the two-toned bear.

"_**Wew… you seem to be feisty today. Why is that I wonder? Is this ship starting to mess with your mind?"**_

"Forget that bear Diego. She's probably just trying to rile you up." Eris said firmly. She cleared her throat, looking around the room. "What do we start with? There isn't much to go on, it seems to me like the murders only took place in one general area."

"Eris is right. But with this huge of a ship, we can't be too sure. We weren't given enough time to explore the common areas. Regardless of that, let us just go on with the assumption that it did happen in this parlor suite." Dalila said, glancing at her Student ID, shifting through all of the information.

"It's obvious the person that did this had a reason too," Ethan said, earning the attention of his fellow peers. "I mean, look at how Tsumugi was killed. She was strapped to the bed and most likely beaten. She was probably raped and then cut open. Whoever killed her had a lot of anger and resentment toward her."

"I can think of one person here that does have resentment towards her," Sayaka said, shifting her eyes toward Dylan, who just gave her a smirk.

"You think I would sully my hands by killing her? Why? I have no reason to!"

"Are you sure about that?" Nico quipped, glaring at the Cuban boy. "I'm sure you do have a reason to kill Tsumugi. Especially because of how she treated you. You always hated that she had turned over a new leaf after her death. Maybe you got sick of her being around and decided to kill her here, knowing her ghost would be destroyed."

"Hmm… is that a guess or an accusation?" the boy said with a giggle.

"Let us not stray far from the crime. If anything can point towards the killer, I believe we should start with the Victims. The only case files we have are for Felicks and Tsumugi. But don't you find it odd that we weren't given case files for the hostages?" Bethany asked, earning murmurs from the others.

"That's because they weren't important!" Shiro said, earning a glare from Reukra.

"What do you mean they weren't important? Some of them were our family! What if it had been your sister Miyuki who had gotten her throat slashed like that, huh?" he cried out. Shiro puffed out her cheeks.

"I get that you are pissed off that your mommy is dead. But listen to what I have to say first. As I was saying, they aren't important. They weren't like the ghosts… they weren't given any incentive. Aside from the Golden Tickets that is."

"Hmm… I think I get what you mean." Kanemoto said, rubbing her chin. "Though I myself have a bit of a theory."

"Can we hear it Miss Kanemoto? I think it would do us good." Seisha said, giving her a small smile. The girl flushed, glancing around the room, taking a deep breath.

"I believe one of the hostages found a golden ticket. Upon realizing that they had, they might have started to fight. It could have lead to the tragic events that took place within this vessel." she said, shifting her gaze towards Miyaki. "I'm sorry Kiki, but the person who found that ticket was your dad."

"Huh… what?" the circus performer asked, clearly confused. "No… no, he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't just kill someone."

"I'm not saying he-"

"No! You are… you are insinuating that he did kill someone in that room. But he didn't!" the blonde cried, glaring at the Pokemon Trainer. "You just want to find a scapegoat!"

"Kiki, I get that you are upset. I would be too if I lost my mom. But you have to think rationally here. If Kanemoto is saying that it might have been your dad, then she might have a reason behind it." Daisuke said.

"No, it's you who doesn't understand! Your mom is right there, alive and well while my father is dead! I'll prove his innocence!" she cried out.

* * *

** Non-Stop Debate**

* * *

**Loaded Truth Bullets: Golden Ticket Corner, Victim File #2, Maria's Account, Ceiling Blood Spatter, Weiss and Gehrig's Deaths**

"Miyaki listen to me." Kanemoto began, hoping to get her attention. "I examined your father's body. There is a **Reason** why I am saying this."

"No! You just want to look for a **Scapegoat** when you know it was someone else!" the blonde countered angrily. "I know that he wasn't acting right, because of this **Ship**. But he was still a kind man, unable to kill someone!"

"How do we know that?" Lars interjected, smirking. "For all we know, he could have **Beaten Weiss and Gehrig **to death. Face it, sweetcheeks, your father is as much a culprit as the rest of us."

"We don't really need your opinion on all of this asshole. Why don't you keep silent?" Mariana snapped angrily, glaring at the Demonologist.

"Look… I get that you are angry and sad that he is gone. But you have to think of the possibilities." Kanemoto said firmly.

"The one that needs to think is you! For all we know, it could be **You **who killed everyone in that room. And now you are blaming my father for a crime he didn't commit, just so you can save your own ass. Face it, you are a liar and a cheater! I bet even your Pokemon Championship Victories are lies!" the blonde cried, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"_I need to end this… but how? They're just insulting each other and I don't have the information needed right now." _Daisuke thought, watching the two arguing back and forth. He heard a chuckle in the back of his mind.

"_**All you have to do is pick a side boy. Which one of them sounds more Just? I'm certain that will allow you to see the truth of the matter." **_Sparkling Justice said, earning a grumble from the boy. Even if he hated that side of him, he did have a point.

"_You have a point… but which side do I choose?" _

* * *

**Choose a Side**

* * *

_Kanemoto's side: _"I can prove it to you. I found something that can point to him being a potential killer!" **Truth Bullet: Golden Ticket Corner**

_Miyaki's side: _"You are wrong! It wasn't my father, it was clearly the other two. I mean look at how they are. They were beaten to death, meaning they could have strangled him easily!" **Truth Bullet: Weiss and Gehrig's Death**

"Miyaki doesn't have much evidence. She is hanging onto Weiss and Gehrig's Deaths, and her argument is flawed… but Kanemoto says she can prove it…. I think hearing what she has to say will lead to the answer." Daisuke thought to himself.

**Side Chosen: **Kanemoto

* * *

"Kanemoto! I want you to explain to us why you believe Shidou Hanao is a potential killer. You say you can prove it, then do it." Daisuke said, earning a nod from the girl.

"I'll do just that!" she said cheerfully. She reached into her bra, pulling out the corner of the golden ticket she had found. "This is the reason why I think he did it!"

_**Break**_

* * *

"What… what the hell is that?" Riku said, eyes wide like saucers. "It's so pretty and shiny! Can I have it, please please please!"

"Calm yourself Riku… it is merely a piece of golden paper. You do not need to concern yourself over it." Ibb said firmly, interested in what the Pokemon Trainer had to say. "Explain yourself Kanna. You claim this is the reason why Shidou may have killed?"

"Yes… this is the corner of a golden ticket. As you all know, one of the motives that were given to all of us, was the use of these tickets. If we found one, we could have easily left this game and the island. I believe Shidou was looking for this ticket. He may have gone into that room to find it. Only to realize that someone else had found it."

"Weiss and Gehrig, you mean?" Miya said, narrowing her eyes. "It does seem likely. They were virtually unrecognizable. Not to mention, their arms had various self-defense wounds. Their heads had been caved in, and by the blood spatter on the ceiling, I can tell it was quite the brutal attack." she said, glancing at Miyaki. "What was his specialty in the circus?"

"He… he was a strongman." the girl chirped, glancing at her folded hands. "He used to do heavy lifting and all of this other stuff. When he retired, he continued lifting weights to keep his muscle mass. But I don't think that translates into his game… he couldn't have done it!"

"It isn't about can or can't Kiki," Nyx said, causing the group to look at her. "Even the weakest person can do normal things in this game. Look at me, I don't look like my halfling self. In fact, my body is as frail as it used to be when I was in the hospital. I can run, walk and jump just like I can in the real world."

"It's the same for me. I'm normally stuck in a bed at home, and have various health issues." Miyuki said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I can barely get up to pee without my knees buckling. But here, I've never felt more alive. I actually ran with Shiro for the first time in years, and I was able to swim with all of you as well. Even if strength didn't translate into this game, most of us would probably have stats."

"Stats… that's it!" Mackenzie said, a grin on her face. "What if this is like a video game? All of us have been assuming it's a simulation. But what if all of us have stats? Maybe some people specialize in strength over others?"

"That has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Lars said, shaking his head. "But, as a man who played a lot of video games growing up, the painter brings a good point. So the Big Breasted Brunette's point of Shidou being the killer stands. He was definitely the one who did Weiss and Gehrig in. He probably even had a round of hot passion with Tsumugi too!" he said cheerfully. "Teenage Poon is very tight, or so I've heard."

"Shut the fuck up!" Ashton growled, slamming his fist down onto his stand. "You sick bastard… that is a human being you are talking about. It doesn't matter what she did or didn't do. You don't joke about rape like that."

"Oh, I'm sorry… I… I didn't know I was supposed to care about her. Oh boo hoo… boo hoo! Poor Miss Shirogane had her hole stretched to the size of a shower drain. Oh the humanity, the unbridled audacity! Woe is me."

"Can we just ignore this shithead and get with the program?" Giselly cried, trying to reign in the trial. Ren cleared his throat, earning her attention.

"Giselly, when you and Miyaki were hacking the system earlier, did you notice anything off?"

"_**What?" **_Surrashakuma cried, causing them to jump. "_**What the hell do you mean by 'hacking the system?' Our firewalls are impenetrable. I should kill you where you stand for your insolence!"**_

"Oh, I'm sorry… was I breaking a rule? As far as I know, Rule 4 of the killing games usually state that with minor restrictions, we are free to explore the areas available to us. I wasn't breaking a rule by accessing the system. It's not my fault that you didn't change Fujisaki's credentials."

"_**Gah… I knew we forgot something. That damn Programmer always hides something in his shit. I gotta get back at him somehow." **_the bear said, grumbling under her breath.

"Returning to your earlier question, no we didn't see anything. Nothing that stood out at least… well, there were those pods."

"Pods? What pods?" Angie questioned, tilting her head in confusion. "Was something else hooked onto the system?"

"Yeah… there were four pods that were unidentified. 12 of them accounted for all of the ghosts in the game. While 23 of them were for the participants of the killing game. I'm assuming, the last 4 were for hostages." Miyaki said.

"If that's the truth then… why only four? There were seven hostages." Alice said, furrowing her brows in thought. "That is unless… Jibo decided to do something different this time around."

"Something different? Different how?" Charlotte asked, causing the blonde to shrug.

"I'm not exactly sure. However I do recall one thing, when we were in Space, Jibo was experimenting on the mind. A few of my friends were put through some awful ordeals, one had her mind split into various personalities."

"I remember this… if I recall correctly, this was the first time he started experimenting with talent." Nico said, closing her eyes in thought. "Yes… My guess is that we were all a precursor for the AUP… test subjects if you will."

"That doesn't exactly help us right now does it?" Evan piped up, a frown on his face. "All of us are here right now, and we need to figure out what is going on in front of us. Let us not delve into the past."

"I agree with Zeus. The Horizon Killing Game is far behind us… there is no use in revisiting those events. They'll only serve to remind us of all the awful things that happened." the violinist said softly.

"You are all spoilsports! Why not talk about it? It sounds like a fun time, to be honest!" Dylan said, chuckling. "It sounds like your game was a bit dull though, could have used some swine to make it far more interesting."

"Believe me, between Ringo and Hiyoko, we had plenty of fuckin swine," Sayaka said. She gasped, covering her mouth, her gaze shifting towards Daisuke. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring her up."

"It's fine Saya. I've already put her to rest, she was a bitch… feel free to discuss it among yourselves over tea." he said jokingly.

"Tea… tea… that's it!" Haruna cried.

"What… what's it?" Reukra asked, visibly confused. "Haruna did you find something?"

"I might have. Reukra, do you remember before we went to the Boiler Room, your mom had gone to get some tea?" she asked, earning a nod from him. "Okay, follow my train of thought for a second. What if she was there because she was having tea with someone?"

"That-" Hikaru began, narrowing his eyes. "Would make sense. I didn't survey the scene though, however, if you claim that she went to get tea, then."

"Then it puts Aikeno exactly in that parlor suite. When we left our room, I took a left and went straight to the lifts. But what if Aikeno took another direction and ended up back in the B-Deck Landing? We left the reception room and had to climb up to B-Deck. She might have run into Shidou there. Not just him, but Weiss, Gehrig, maybe even Tsumugi."

"What if it's something more than that?" Mallory said, a nervous look on her face. "I don't know about you but… I've been seeing some things."

"Like what kind of things?" Mariana asked.

"She probably smoked one of the plants from the ship. Either that or she was eating paint chips." Dylan said, chuckling. A glare from Ashton got him to zip his lip.

"I don't like where this is going," Ethan said softly, brushing back his cowlick. "I think Mallory might be onto something. I've been seeing delusions myself. People that I know are dead, have been appearing on this ship. I saw my deceased girlfriend walking around."

"I've seen Gundham a few times. Covered in wax, whispering heretic, almost like a zombie. Every single step he took, a piece of wax covered flesh would fall to the ground. Praying to Atua was the only way to get him to go away." Angie added, a fearful look on her face.

"So these delusions have been appearing on the ship? I haven't seen any… but by the looks on your faces, I'm glad that I didn't." Vanessa said.

"This opens up a new avenue, however," Dalila said, taking the reigns for the moment. "What if Aikeno saw something in that room? Going further, what if Weiss, Gehrig and Shidou all saw something?"

"I'm not sure what my father would have seen but… I think seeing me die in that killing game would easily trigger him. When we talked, he kept hugging me tightly. He said that after my death, Burnett's Circus was destroyed. My mother died in a fire, with him as the sole survivor. He was contemplating taking his life when Jibo brought him to Hora Island." Miyaki said, holding back her tears. "Oh daddy… I'm sorry… I never got to tell you how much you mean to me," she said.

"Let's put it like this then." Shiro began, earning everyone's attention. "Shidou probably saw Miyaki's mom and tried to save her from the fire. What if in his mind, he felt like he was choking from the smoke, but that was because someone was strangling him? It would make sense with how he died right?"

"Holy shit… that makes a fuckload of sense!" Ashton cried, a small smile on his face. "Nice on Shi! I doubt any of us could have come up with that!"

"Aw… thanks, Ashy-Boy! I'm so happy you are a friendly tree now~" she said, giving him a wink.

"If what Shiro is saying did happen… then Weiss and Gehrig could have seen something frightening. An SCP Perhaps… they were members of the foundation." Ibb said.

"That could have lead to someone else bashing their brains in. Maybe Aikeno? But then who killed her and Tsumugi? I doubt someone in their delusion would have tied Tsumugi up, raped her and then cut her open." Sayaka said.

"Um… does anyone know what rape is? I'm confused… is it a game?" Seisha asked. No one decided to respond to the boy. Dalila stepped away from her stand, closing the distance between herself and the young boy.

"I'll explain everything to you later okay? For now, don't pay these terms any mind," she said, taking a hold of his hand. The boy smiled.

"Can we read Moby Dick after this stupid trial? I know someone died but I wanna read something fun and exciting."

"Sure… we can read that and all the books you want! I promise!"

"Jeez, how fucking old is that kid? He looks fourteen, is taller than a twenty-year-old but acts like a child. Maybe someone should put him out of his misery."

"Maybe someone should put you out of your misery, asshole. Someone needs to show you that human lives on the line here." Daisuke said.

"Son, ignore him. He's just being an asshole." Maria said firmly, causing the man to grumble under his breath. "We've hit a major discovery here. But that doesn't mean we've solved this case. We still have to figure out who killed Felicks, as well as Aikeno and Tsumugi."

"Let's relegate Shidou, Weiss and Gehrig to victims of delusions. We need to focus on Aikeno and Tsumugi. You see… my thing with them is simple. I believe someone killed the two of them with a knife." Bethany said.

"A knife? You think someone killed those two with a knife?" Evan asked curiously.

"I don't think, I know," she said, matter-of-factly.

"I don't think so!" Ibb interjected, causing the Pele to jump. "Tsumugi and Aikeno couldn't have been killed with a knife. The wounds on their bodies don't even match that profile!"

"I'm not sure if you noticed, but they were both cut open. One at the throat and the other from the throat down to her navel. I am willing to bet it was with a knife, what else could they have used?"

"I actually have proof that it was a knife. And the one who is wielding it is right there!" the runecrafter cried, pointing a finger at Dylan. The boy gave her an incredulous look, before bursting into laughter.

"Me? Do you actually believe I did this? That's a laugh."

"She's not wrong." Nico hissed, glaring at the boy. "You clearly could have done it, and you have an incentive. If Mr. Hanao did, in fact, possess a Golden Ticket, then that means that you had a reason to kill him and everyone in that room. After all, you were the one who was flipping his shit all over the ship. It was a cover to hide what you were planning."

"It would make sense with his actions. But I sincerely doubt he would actually do that." Eris said, crossing her arms.

"You don't know that!" Mackenzie cried out. "I saw him walking around, breaking into rooms and trying to steal passenger belongings. Even the Master-At-Arms was called and gave him a stern warning. What makes you think he isn't capable of doing that?"

"Not to mention what he did to us on the Lunar Colony." Evan quipped, glaring at the boy. "He's clearly the one responsible for all of this."

"Guys… we might be jumping to conclusions here. Just because he did something in one game doesn't mean he did it in another." Charlotte said.

"Sorry Charlie, but if it quacks like a duck, and waddles like a duck, then it's a duck," Shiro replied. "My sister's life is on the line here. I say we vote for him and end this trial early. It might give us some time to get out of here."

The siren was about to reply when Dylan's laughter filled the room. It was louder than some of the whirling machines around them. Even a few of the NPCs noticed him, but none seemed to question what exactly what was going on. He slammed his fist repeatedly against his stand, shoulders shaking with mirth.

"Oh… this is so rich! I missed this kind of shit, the trials were my favorite part of the killing game."

"Let me guess, this is the part where you claim to be the killer and how you enjoyed it?" Diego said, crossing his arms. "If so act with more dignity. Honestly, you are just a deluded louse at this point."

"Diego, what's wrong with you? You've been acting rather angry these past few hours." the dryad asked, sounding concerned. "Is something the matter?"

"Yes, something is the matter. I happen to be wasting my goddamned time on this stupid pointless trial. Honestly, if it wasn't because my life was on the line, I wouldn't even be in there right now!" he exclaimed angrily. "To think, the Prince of Dim Carcosa has to deal with you insolent buffoons"

"Oh great, someone else has decided to join us… how fun." Lars said, shaking his head. "Anyway… it seems we were in the middle of a confession… can we get this moving? I wanna see how he dies."

"Actually, I was about to prove my innocence." the young man said, sneering. "You see… you were all jumping to conclusions about me being a killer. However, I haven't had a reason to kill since moment one. Well, I did have a reason." he said, glancing at the demonologist. "When you shook my hand, you took something dear to me… my chance at living again."

"You were an idiot."

"I was, for believing you. However, I must thank you, Lars, because you stealing my ticket to freedom has, in fact, provided me with four." Dylan said, reaching into his pocket, flashing the golden tickets he had found. "I'm innocent of this crime. And even if I wasn't, I'd buy my way out of it."

"_**Holy shit! Someone else actually found those? Well, I must say, I'm impressed with you Mr. Rufheiser. If you'd like to cash those in right now, I can get you a one-way ticket outta here."**_

"Nah… I wanna watch this. Just know that if any of these fucks try to even lay a finger on me, they'll die. Oh… and just as an FYI, I never had a knife, not on this ship. However, I did spot someone with one." he said, his eyes shifting toward Alice. "Isn't that right Alice?"

"What are you getting at?" the veterinarian asked, crossing her arms. "Are you assuming that it was I who commit this crime?"

"Of course! As I recall, Alice Bailey was a former member of Fenrir. Someone who is trained to fight, meaning you could have easily committed that crime. Look at how methodical it was. Shidou being strangled, Weiss and Gehrig being bludgeoned to death. Tsumugi having broken ribs aside from her obvious cause of death. It fits the bill honey… now, how are you going to explain that?"

"It isn't true!" Nyx cried out, coming to the defense of her friend. "She may have been a member of Fenrir in the past, but I know she wouldn't do this to us!"

"I can't say the same," Ashton said, bowing his head. "I had a delusion as well… I saw my little sister Aliyah, who was killed a few years ago. Alice came to us, and she stabbed her in the eye with a knife. She killed that delusion!"

"Ashton you bastard… I did that to ease your burden!" the woman spat, glaring at the man. "I've been dealing with my older brother practically since we began this trip. No one should have to deal with reliving their past, especially when dead relatives are involved."

"So he's telling the truth? You really do have a knife?" Reukra said, gritting his teeth. "YOU BITCH!"

"I knew we couldn't trust you."

"It isn't like that, please… you've got to listen to what I have to say!" Alice cried. Several people started shouting at her, calling her various names. Daisuke frowned, shaking his head.

"_Great… now they're all ganging up on Alice. I've got to find a way to get this back on track. I don't think it was her who did this. If it wasn't for Alice, Junko would have probably killed me." _he thought to himself.

* * *

** Non-Stop Debate**

* * *

**Truth Bullets: Alice's Account, Victim File #3, Tsumugi's Broken Ribs, Haruna and Reukra's Account, Planter's Missing Corner, Locked Sitting Room Door**

"Alice was a former member of **Fenrir**. That means she knows how to covertly **Kill** people. It's possible that she was capable of doing this!" Ashton said firmly.

"It Wasn't **Me**. I wasn't even near that suite, so I couldn't have done it!" the woman cried out.

"That doesn't mean you couldn't have done it. Ashton said you have a **knife.**" Reukra said, pointing a finger at the Veterinarian. "That means it was **you** who killed my mother, you bitch!"

"Stop blaming Alice for this! If she had killed someone, she would have likely done it for a reason!" Nyx called out.

"Yeah… her reason being that golden ticket. That's probably why she seems so calm and collected." Diego said firmly. "Alice Bailey killed Tsumugi Shirogane and Aikeno Orion with her **knife **and that's final!" Dylan said, a smirk on his face.

"Um… may I cut in? I have some **evidence **that might shed some light on this case." Miya called out, only for her voice to be drowned out by Ashton.

"Let's hurry up and cast this vote already. Send the traitor to Davy Jones' Locker!"

"_Fantastic. They're all going around blaming Alice without having a shred of proof that she did. Nyx's alibi doesn't help here, especially when Alice admits that she saw Ashton briefly during it. She could have easily done it then." _Daisuke thought, glancing at Alice. She had a look of fear and confusion on her face, as she tried to defend herself.

"_**That girl, the Investigator. Her voice cut through earlier… she said she had something to share. Perhaps she found something that will lead to the answer. An Unjust death for an innocent person goes against our ideals." **_

"_Miya… right. I have to listen to what she has to hear, I'll have to cut through their words!"_

_**Loaded Truth Bullet: Assist Bullet**_

"Alice was a former member of **Fenrir**. That means she knows how to covertly **Kill** people. It's possible that she was capable of doing this!" Ashton said firmly.

"It Wasn't **Me**. I wasn't even near that suite, so I couldn't have done it!" the woman cried out.

"That doesn't mean you couldn't have done it. Ashton said you have a **knife.**" Reukra said, pointing a finger at the Veterinarian. "That means it was **you** who killed my mother, you bitch!"

"Stop blaming Alice for this! If she had killed someone, she would have likely done it for a reason!" Nyx called out.

"Yeah… her reason being that golden ticket. That's probably why she seems so calm and collected." Diego said firmly. "Alice Bailey killed Tsumugi Shirogane and Aikeno Orion with her **knife **and that's final!" Dylan said, a smirk on his face.

"Um… may I cut in? I have some **evidence-**"

"Allow me to assist you!"

_**Assist**_

* * *

"Miya, what's this evidence you want to present to us?" Daisuke said, having successfully silenced the room. The Missing Persons Investigator smiled brightly.

"I thank you good sir. It seems you are the only one here who has a good head on his shoulders," she said, tugging her jacket. "Right… well, I have a piece of evidence that points to someone else. Alice is innocent of this crime!"

"Well come on, spit it out already. We haven't got all night!" Hikaru said firmly.

"Don't rush me you frickin frick!" the girl spat. "Ahem… while I was examining the crime scene, I poured over the broken mirror. Weiss and Gehrig were likely the ones that ended up breaking it, as they had some shards in their arms. I actually went through the trouble of putting it back together."

"She did. She pieced it back together, and we ended up finding something about it." Riku said, holding out his ID. It showed a picture of the broken mirror, with a large hole in the middle. "There was one shard that was missing."

"So, what you are saying is… someone used that's hard to kill Aikeno and Tsumugi?" Venessa asked curiously. "But… if that's the case, wouldn't the person that did it get cut? It's a middle piece so I would assume it's very sharp."

"Exactly the case. If Alice was truly the killer, then she would have that cut on her hand. Not to mention, I saw her briefly enter Cafe Parisien during the time this was likely occurring. I was able to estimate the time of death of all the victims. Weiss and Gehrig died first, evident by the bruising on their arms. Shidou was strangled next, with Aikeno following shortly after. Tsumugi died after her, and Felicks was last." the violet-haired girl said firmly.

"That clinches it then. Alice is not our culprit, but we've found another piece of the puzzle. Someone here used that shard to kill those two. Meaning they should have a cut on their hand. That is unless a glove was used."

"Well… only three women here have gloves on their hands." Haruna said, glancing at Rei. "Rei, you are one of them. Ibb, you've got a pair yourself, and Charlotte has her own pair."

"It wasn't me… I have an alibi. I was with Daisuke at the bow of the ship. They were likely dead by the time we returned to the First Class Entrance." the siren said.

"It couldn't have been Ibb either… since we were together in the First Class Gymnasium until just before the Dinner Bell was rung." Maria admitted. She frowned, glancing at the violinist. "That only leaves you dear."

"Huh… what? Are you fucking serious?" Rei cried angrily. "Here we go again, I already killed someone and died for my sins. Do you actually believe I would do that shit again?"

"Well if the boot fits," Lars said, earning a glare from the green-eyed ravenette.

"What did you say?"

"If. The. Boot. Fits."

"I'm going to shove an ivory bow up your ass and use your teeth as strings." the woman said, about to step away from her stand.

"It's easy to figure out if she did it or not. Just take off your gloves." Angie said with a shrug. "If you claim you didn't do it, then show us your hands."

"She shouldn't have to!" Hikaru cried, coming to her defense. "Besides we know that she and I were-"

"No, I think she should show her hands," Giselly said. "Hikaru, Rei… I trust the two of you. You are like siblings to me now. But until I see her hands, I won't be able to exonerate her at all."

"I'm not going to take my gloves off dammit!" the girl cried, cheeks flushing.

"_**Yawn… I'm starting to get really bored. You might wanna hurry up and end this already… especially because we don't have much time left." **_Surrashakuma said, stretching in her seat.

"What do you mean by that?" Seisha asked, a worried look on his face. "Why are you acting like something bad is gonna happen?"

"_**That's because it is kiddo! I'm sure you'll have fun, you are a samebito after all… oh wait, you can't even swim...pfft." **_

"Ignore her Seisha. She's just trying to psych you out… no need to pay attention to her and her ramblings." Dalila said, soothing the boy's concerns.

* * *

** Non-Stop Debate**

* * *

**Loaded Truth Bullets: Maria's Account. Rei and Hikaru's Account, Haruna and Reukra's Account, Victim File #2**

"I'm sure Rei is the suspect. After all the cut is hidden under her **gloves**!" Mariana snapped angrily.

"That's a bold faced lie! I wasn't even **near **that parlor suite. I was somewhere else doing something else." the violinist cried.

"Something else you say? Like what? Explain yourself, dear, you are only digging yourself deeper into your grave." Angie said.

"Um, Rei… maybe it would be better for you to take the gloves off. That way, we could check to see if you are telling the truth." Miyaki said, sheepishly rubbing her arm.

"She doesn't have to do anything. Rei is **innocent **of this crime… you are all grasping at straws because Surrashakuma is making us nervous!" Hikaru cried out.

"Typical white knight behavior. Of course, you'd defend your girlfriend you jackass. Clearly, she's hiding something, why else would she refuse to take her gloves off?" Lars asked firmly. "Maybe that's because you two are **accomplices**!"

"Fuck you!" the ravenette shouted angrily.

"This is going nowhere. Why are we even discussing this?" Shiro mumbled, sighing. "I swear if me and my sister die because if you, I am so going to haunt your asses."

"Shiro… if we all die then there's no one left to haunt." Mackenzie said, pressing her fingers together. "I uh… I mean… Rei should take her gloves off! If not for us then to prove herself innocent!" she stammered, a flush on her cheeks.

"This is fucking stupid. I can't believe we're actually discussing this." Ashton said, shaking his head in disapproval.

"_Ash is right. It's clearly obvious that Rei and Hikaru aren't the culprits. The only way to prove that is to get her to take those damn gloves off. Let's see if I talk some sense into her."_

_**Loaded Truth Bullet: Rei and Hikaru's Account**_

"I'm sure Rei is the suspect. After all the cut is hidden under her **gloves**!" Mariana snapped angrily.

"That's a bold faced lie! I wasn't even **near **that parlor suite. I was somewhere else doing something else." the violinist cried.

"I agree with that!" Daisuke called out.

_**Consent**_

* * *

"You… you agree with me?" Rei asked, narrowing her eyes. "Why?"

"Because I remember your alibi. Everyone, Rei and Hikaru couldn't have been the ones to kill everyone. The reason being, they were in their own suite having sex."

"Don't just blurt it out like that!" the boy cried in embarrassment. "Jesus Christ man, what the fuck?"

Daisuke rolled his eyes, walking over to where Rei was. She sighed, knowing what he was going to do. She held her hands out, allowing the boy to delicately pull her gloves off her hands. He examined them both, snorting as he looked them over. "Jeez… here I thought violinists took good care of their hands?"

"Hikaru likes giving me love bites! Sue me!" she cried. For emphasis, she held out her hands, showing everyone the bites that littered her skin. Her palms, however, were completely clean and free of cuts. "See… I was embarrassed okay? I like to keep our sex life between us."

"We're back to square one again… dammit… we aren't going to find the killer if we keep beating around the damn bush!" Diego said firmly. "I'm not going to die because of you idiots!"

"Then maybe get in this shit and start helping us. Standing there and bitching when shit doesn't fucking happen to go your way isn't helping!" Giselly snapped angrily.

"You know… if any of the girls wearing gloves had killed either of them, wouldn't they have blood on their gloves?" Mackenzie asked curiously. "I know they could have taken them off. But if Charlotte and Ibb have alibis, couldn't the person that killed them have ditched the gloves too?"

"She makes a good point. When I checked the private promenade attached to that room, I saw some blood on the deck. Not only that, but the planter was broken." Kanemoto said, glancing around the room. "I think I know what the two murder weapons were for this case. The first was that piece of wood from the planter. It was used to bludgeon Weiss and Gehrig to death, as well as break Tsumugi's ribs. The second is rather obvious."

"The mirror shard." Miya piped up, a firm look on her face. "I'm starting to see the bigger picture here, but there are things that I'm blanking on."

"So let's put it together," Charlotte said, gaining their attention. "Okay… so we believe that Shidou, Weiss and Gehrig fought over the ticket correctly? So what if Shidou in his anger, went into the Promenade deck and broke apart that planter?"

"He wouldn't do that!" Miyaki cried out in reflex. She sighed, bowing her head. "I know my dad wouldn't do that… but I do see your point. He was growing delusional."

_(Flashback)_

"_Dad… don't you think you are drinking a little too much?" _Miyaki asked, glancing around the Smoking Room. The other men were glaring at her, a few even wanting her to leave. "_I know you are having fun, but I'm worried about you."_

"_Leave me alone Kiki. Can't you see I'm having a grand old time with my friends here?" _Shidou said, glancing at his friends. "_John, Benjamin, I'd like for you to meet my daughter Miyaki. She's my pride and joy, the only one I have left after my wife's passing."_

"_It's a pleasure to meet you miss. John Jacob Astor, you can call me J.J." _the man said, extending his hand to the girl. She gave it a light shake, turning to the other man.

"_Benjamin Guggenheim, I'm honored to meet you miss. You know… you seem to be around Madeline's age."_

"_Madeline?" _Miyaki asked in confusion, causing J.J. to speak up.

"_My wife, she and I recently got married. She's seventeen and is already expecting. I'm sure you two would get along. She's on deck with Madame Aubert. If you'd like, you can go have tea with them. I'm sure she'd love another young lady to converse with."_

"_Oh… I'll keep that in mind, thank you sir. I just came to check on my father. He's been distraught since losing mother. I don't want to continue drinking like this."_

"_Miyaki dear, I've already told you… I will drink as much as I want! It's the only way I can cope with her passing. Besides… I'm rich! I want nothing but the best for you, it's why I bought these first class tickets for us." _he said, earning a frown from the blonde.

"_Daddy… this isn't the real Titanic you know… this is all just a video game."_

"_Video Game… heavens what is that? It sounds absolutely awful."_ Guggenheim said, chuckling. He flagged down a steward._ "Sir, could I get some more brandy? I'd like another cigar as well."_

"_Of course sir, only the finest for you. Another round for you gentlemen?"_

"_Mhmm… I'll take a bottle, my treat!" _Shidou said, slapping a twenty onto the table.

"_Dad… please, you are starting to worry me."_

"_Miyaki that is enough. Just leave me be... " _he said firmly, brushing her off. Miyaki sighed, turning around. She respectfully excused herself, starting to leave the room. "_Honestly, when we get to New York, I'm going to look for a husband for her. It's about time she got married."_

_(Flashback ends)_

"So, he was drinking heavily?" Daisuke asked, earning a nod from the blonde.

"He was. He spent most of his days in the Smoking Room with his 'friends'. He probably forgot they were NPCs. He looked really out of it the last time I spoke with him. I don't even know how he was able to get from the Third Class to the First Class without being forced out by the stewards."

"Gambling," Riku said firmly. "Wiess and Gehrig were doing it a lot. When me and Ibb went to go speak with them, they were gambling with some of the rich folks. It's not that hard to make enough money and then upgrade your ticket. The ship has a lot of spare First Class cabins that went unused."

"Mini-games," Lars mumbled, shaking his head. "Those idiots… they got roped into playing Mini-games. That's probably why they focused solely on that. I bet you the Grand Prize was a fucking Golden Ticket. Oh, that's rich… those dumb shits were making bets, hoping to get those tickets and all they got for their trouble was death!"

"Pfft… that's pretty funny now that I think about it. What losers!" Dylan quipped with a laugh.

"Bollocks. I don't for a second believe that was the cause of their delusion. It was far too real and far too personal for it all to have been a mini-game. Especially for me... " Alice said, closing her eyes. She could see her older brother on the forefront of her mind, glaring at her, laughing. "I can't help but see his sneer every time I blink… it's too much for me."

"Alice… it'll be okay." Nyx said, giving her a smile. "Just remember, this is all a game."

"But what if it isn't?" Ethan asked, tilting his head slightly. "What if killing someone was also a mini-game? What if someone got a ticket for it?"

"Surrashakuma did say something earlier. About those tickets being notoriously hard to get… perhaps they were tied to Mini-games." Dalila added.

"If they were playing a game and then ended up facing a boss, then that could have killed them. I know I don't like fighting boss monsters. They're annoying." Seisha said, scrunching his face.

Mallory yawned, rubbing her eyes. "M-maybe the killer saw a delusion too? What if they thought it was all a game, and didn't realize what they were doing until it was too late?"

"You have a point there Mal. I think that might be the case here. But where to Aikeno and Tsumugi fit in? Matter of fact, where does Felicks fit in? We've been ignoring him this entire time." Sayaka said, glancing at the deceased Fairy's portrait.

"His death was quick and painless. I'm sure he was just a victim of circumstance." Ashton said.

"A very particular circumstance. With all of the carnage that was going on in that room, only he died of a broken neck? And after Tsumugi too. Something tells me that isn't the case." Vanessa said firmly.

"What if he was watching?" Maria queried, twisting a strand of hair between her fingers. "What if he was caught watching and he had to be put down? You know… to stop someone from telling the others, before the time was right?"

"That… makes a lot of sense mom. A lot more sense than I hope."

"I don't think that's the case," Evan said, shaking his head. "I think he was brought there as a victim to be murdered, simple as that."

"I don't think so," Mariana said. "I believe Felicks could have been watching this whole thing go down."

"It's impossible for him to have been watching! From where would he have? The Promenade? Because that clearly isn't the case!" the mythologist snapped.

"_**Oh boy! Do I finally get to do it! Yes, siree! Looks like we're going to be having a Scrum Debate!" **_Surrashakuma cried, jumping to her feet. She spun her cane around her neck, slamming it hard on her throne chair. The stands started whirling loudly, beginning to move around, causing everyone to grab on. "_**This is gonna be fun!"**_

"What… what the bloody hell is going on?" Alice cried out, as she struggled to hang on.

"Beats me… this is a new ball game!" Haruna called out. Dylan giggled joyously.

"Yes, I've been waiting for hard for this!" he said cheerfully, a manic grin on his face. It only took a few seconds for each of the stands to be fully lined up. Everyone was facing each other.

"_**Tada! Here we have our sides! Evan believes Felicks wasn't a victim of circumstance and was in fact taken there against his will! On the opposing side, we have Mariana who believes he was watching the entire time! Let's see these two duke it out in our favorite event of the trial! The never replicated, Scum Debate!"**_

* * *

**Scrum Debate: Start**

* * *

"Evan, I'm not sure you understand what you are saying. It's clear that Felicks was watching from the get go!" Mariana snapped, glaring at the man.

"No, it's you who doesn't understand. The other victims were either hostages or ghosts. Felicks looked weaker than most. Someone could have easily forced his hand and dragged him to that room!" he spat back.

"I see mythology is the only thing you are good for." the manakete quipped, resting her weight on her leg. "If Felicks was indeed dragged there, then why was he killed last? There was no point to it, especially when they could have killed him first."

"That's simple… they killed him last in order to scare him."

"Scare him? Are you stupid?" she cried, an incredulous look on her face. "Why the hell would they want to scare him?"

"If I may interject, I believe Evan might be onto something," Angie said. "I think Felicks was just someone quick and easy to grab. He didn't look like he would put up a fight. He could have been subdued with ease."

"That's where you are wrong Angie," Sayaka said firmly. "I can't follow that line of logic. I mean, they grabbed him because he was weak, then why not grab Miyuki or Nyx? They look equally as weak as he did. Even Dalila looks a bit emaciated, any one of them could be grabbed."

"Hey… I don't like being described like that." the dryad said, frowning.

"See… that line of logic is flawed. Admit it, Evan, you are grasping at straws here? And for what reason? You've got no cause to oppose me." the red-haired beauty said.

"Pardon me then… but I still do not believe Dylan is entirely innocent. He is on your side for whatever reason. That is why I oppose you… because when he's around, you never know what may happen."

"Oh, boo frickety hoo. You ended up getting yourself and Ren killed and suddenly I'm at fault? Come on man… I already told you, I've got no reason to kill anyone here. Even if I did, why would I? I got a one-way ticket outta this shithole!" Dylan said, waving his tickets around. "Besides, I'm not a brain dead idiot. There's one thing about the murder scene that proves Felicks wasn't a victim but watching it instead."

"Oh… and that happens to be?" Reukra asked, fuming. "Because if I find out you are lying, I'm going to beat the shit out of you. I'm sick of this class trial bullshit. I just want to find the fucker who killed my mom!"

"It's quite simple… unless you hide under the bed, there's only one place where you can hide and get a full picture of what is going on. I'll give you a hint, it isn't the Promenade Deck."

"Tch… any hint given by you is probably false. I assure you, Felicks was a victim of circumstance. The killer grabbed him, forced him to go to this parlor suite and then he was killed, end of story."

"No! You are wrong… the truth of the matter is that I have the final piece of this puzzle!" Mariana said, a grin on her face.

**Loaded Truth Bullet: Locked Sitting Room Door**

"This is the answer!"

* * *

**End of Debate**

* * *

"_**Woo! Now that was exciting, wasn't it kids? It's clear that Mariana won that debate, she aced it with flying colors!" **_Surrashakuma said excitedly, as the stands returned to normal. "_**Miss Nunez, you have the floor!"**_

"You are seriously going on the assumption that the Sitting Room door was locked?" Evan asked, eyes wide. "Are you mad? Don't you know our lives are on the line?"

"Of course I do… and that's why it makes sense. Felicks must have seen what was going on in that room. Maybe he saw someone else being dragged in… someone like Aikeno or Tsumugi. Growing concerned, he tried looking into the room but realized he couldn't. So he went into the Sitting Room from the hallway door."

"Take it a step back," Daisuke said, cutting into the conversation. "What if Felicks sniffed out a ticket in that room? What if he was searching for it and went into that Sitting Room?" he said, glancing around the room. "Then he really was a victim of circumstance. He saw Weiss and Gehrig getting attacked, and probably alerted the killer. He was killed, not just to silence him, but because he was a loose end."

"I think… I think that might be the case." Charlotte said, looking down in sadness. "If you look at his cause of death, it's a simple broken neck. What if he was killed by someone he was friends with? One of us in this room who he actually grew close to? I think that would be the most logical conclusion."

"That's just awful… why would someone do that to him? Especially if they were a friend… I could never imagine having to do something so disgusting!" Haruna said, shaking her head in anger. "Let's just end this farce… we need to figure out who killed Aikeno… we're wasting time!"

"_**I would certainly say so," **_Surrashakuma said, glancing at her pocket watch. "_**It's 9:30 PM… We're gonna have to wrap this up soon. If you are deadlocked, then you know what will happen."**_

"A sacrificial vote… we are not doing that. That isn't even an option." Daisuke said, earning a laugh from Lars.

"Why not? I believe it could be beneficial. It worked _so _well last time… hey, maybe it'll land on one of these undead fucks. Maybe the bitch with the green eyes or the soulless ginger." he said, glaring at Rei and Mallory. "That is something I would love to see."

"I would love if it if it was you." Mariana spat. "I think the world would be blessed with your passing."

"Hardly. Someone like me will never die… I've got big plans I'm afraid. Plans that will be fulfilled the moment we step away from this stupid ship. I cannot risk my own death yet, so sadly I must concur. We need to solve this case, and solve it quickly."

"That's a switch… I'm impressed… there's a part of you that actually does give a shit." Diego said, smirking.

"Eh… nope. I just don't wanna die, a perfect human like me doesn't need to ever see that side of life. At least, not before my time."

"I've been thinking about something. Don't you think it's a little odd that we haven't honed in on a suspect yet?" Eris asked, a pensive look on her face. "Normally, someone would have found something incriminating. Yet this time, we haven't found anything… do you think maybe something was erased?"

"Erased like how? By accessing the system?" Giselly asked, causing her to nod. "I doubt it. Aside from myself, no one but Miyaki and those on the outside have access to the system. Both of us were in the Palm Court when this murder was happening."

"There has to be something we're missing though, anything at all," Ren said.

"Well, we can't find anything. There is nothing left to find… unless someone here is hiding something. In which case, you know how that turned out last time." Rei said, rubbing her hand.

"I know I haven't said much, this is all new to me, but. Maybe someone could retrace Felicks' steps? That would probably lead us to where we wanna go." Miyuki said.

"Hey yeah! Big sis is right… whenever I lost a piece of fabric or a thimble when I was sowing, I would do everything I did in reverse. Most of the time, I ended up finding what I lost." Shiro said happily. "What say you Miya, can you come up with something?"

"Perhaps… what was the last thing Felicks did before he died?" she asked calmly.

"Well… I remember being at the Squash Court with him this morning. But that was at 11, I spent the rest of the day searching for Charlotte, so I didn't see him." Daisuke said.

"Same here… we split up at 1. We had gone to the Turkish Baths and we made plans to meet up after dinner. Shame we weren't able to hang out afterward." Riku added.

"All of us were doing the Tour, so we didn't see him either," Miyaki said.

"I was… hanging out with Nyx, among other things. Dealing with my delusions became a bit hard. So I took frequent walks when I could. If I recall correctly, I did spot Felicks coming down the Grand Staircase. I met up with Nyx at the Palm Court before we went to have tea. It must have been… around 5:50?" Alice said causing Miya to snap her fingers.

"We have a window. 5:50 is the last time anyone saw him under the notion he was alive. I examined Weiss, Gehrig and Shidou. To me, it seemed as if they were dead far longer than Aikeno, Tsumugi and Felicks. We know that they died last."

"So, you're saying Weiss and Gehrig were dead before 5:50?" Ashton asked. "How the hell can you tell?"

"I've said it before… despite being a Missing Persons Investigator, I yearn to be more like Saiko Kobayashi. That's why I dabble in forensics. The blood on the ceiling looked a bit dry as if it had been over an hour since it happened. That means those two died first, at exactly 5:50. If Felicks was indeed searching for a ticket and was in the Sitting Room, then he might have seen their bodies." she said. "Shidou was probably there searching for the ticket, and may have killed those two."

"And if he did, Felicks would have likely tried to get help. But when he did, he saw someone else being dragged into the room. Tsumugi and Aikeno. They probably were brought in there for one reason or another." Ethan said. Kanemoto grit her teeth angrily, slamming her fist against the stand.

"Okay… this has gone far enough. I've been waiting for this entire trial for you to say something but watching you stand there, going on like it's nothing. It's pissing me the fuck off." the brunette Pokemon Trainer snapped.

"Kanna… what are you doing?" Nico cried out, a look of shock on her face.

"What I should have done from the beginning! Ethan is a lying sack of shit! He's in bed with Surrashakuma and Jibo. He's the one that probably killed those hostages!"

The whole room grew silent at the woman's accusation, no one wanted to utter a single word. The Participants, Hostages and Ghosts could only stare at the Ultimate Cryomancer, who became frozen in place.

* * *

_**xxx(End of Act 11)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: ?**

**Ghost Peeps: ?**

**Hostages: ?**

* * *

**A/N: Holy shit I did it! A chapter where I didn't go over 10,000 words, not including the Authors Not of course. Wew!**

**I cannot thank you all enough for the support. This chapter has been a long time coming, and now we are drawing near the end of this trial. I was going to have it be an entire chapter, but I worried it was becoming too long. The next chapter is going to be the conclusion to this Act's trial. Not to mention, the beginning of the end of Chapter 2. Because after this, only a few more acts will remain!**

**Honestly… I didn't expect Chapter 2 to go one for so long. You can clearly tell I'm a huge Titanic Nerd, especially if I've kept this chapter going for this long. I swear it was meant to be 10 Acts long, I'm sorry.  
**

**I am not sure when I will post this. Most likely tomorrow afternoon. Who knows? Maybe if I finish early, I'll have a double post for ya… or I'll make you suffer… yeah, the latter will be better. Before I go I must say one thing….**

**Bella, please don't kill me. I know you want closure for your boy, but bear with me… I want this trial to be perfect!**

**Be sure to read the Mall AU! Where I made my writing Debut! Please… it's the fluffy story where all of our OC's can live happily ever after, without any suffering. Show some love to Super, JCW, Trust and everyone else who helped out.**

**Shout to all the pairs… oh and my buddy BloodyDemon has started a Cyberpunk/Persona cross over. Be sure to check it out if you'd like… It's not my personal cup of tea since I know jack shit about Cyberpunk, but be sure to drop by if you are interested.**

**Peace out y'all! **


	27. C2 Act 12: The Ship of Nightmares Finale

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Act 12

The Ship of Nightmares (Final Chapter)

_**xxx**_

**Location: Titanic's Engine Room (Class Trial Court Room)**

**Time: 9:35 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

* * *

_**xxx(Truth Bullets)xxx**_

**Victim File #2: Felicks Mlynarz**

**Cause of Death: Broken Neck**

**Time of Death: Approximately 6:50 PM**

**The victim was found by Sayaka Maizono, Kanemoto Mizuki and Ethan Gold in Suite B-68. He only suffered one injury, a broken neck.**

**Victim File #3: Tsumugi Shirogane**

**Cause of Death: Unknown **

**Time of Death: Approximately 6:47 PM**

**The victim was found tied to the bed within suite B-68. She shows various forms of trauma, including blunt force trauma to the back of her head, disembowelment, organ mutilation, and signs of sexual assault. A true cause of death cannot be identified.**

* * *

** Alice's Account- She and Nyx shared tea in her room. Alice met with Ashton for a brief moment.**

**Giselly's Account- She, Miyaki, Ren, Mallory, and Diego were in the Palm Court on A-Deck**

**Dalila and Seisha's Account- Dalila and Seisha spent the day reading "Moby Dick"**

**Maria's Account- Maria, Riku, and Ibb were in the Gymnasium just before the announcement**

**Charlotte and Daisuke's Account- Charlotte and Daisuke were on deck until before the announcement**

**Shiro and Kenzie's Account- The Two were in the First Class Lounge admiring the art**

**Felicks' Death (Mercy?) Could his death have been an attack or a mercy killing?**

**Weiss and Gehrig's Deaths- Angie believes that they were bludgeoned to death. Could she be right?**

**Ceiling Blood Spatter- Signs that Weiss and Gehrig were bludgeoned to death**

**Golden Ticket Corner- Kanemoto found this in Shidou's Pocket. Did he find one or?**

**Nico the Potential Killer?- Due to Secret Circumstances, Kanemoto believes Nico to be the killer, and with good reason**

**Planter's Missing Corner- This piece was pulled from the Planter. Could potentially be the murder weapon.**

**Planter's Resin- Could be what was used to strangle Shidou**

**Tsumugi's Broken Ribs- Tsumugi has various broken ribs, perhaps from the killer**

**Knife (Potential Murder Weapon?)- Ethan believes a knife may have been used to kill Aikeno and Tsumugi**

**Haruna's Account- She and Reukra were below decks Smooching**

**Rei and Hikaru's Accounts- Oh they fuckin'**

**Mirror Shard Knife- There's a piece of glass missing. Could this be a weapon?**

**Locked Sitting Room- This door is locked, perhaps by the killer.**

* * *

"Kanemoto… what the hell are you talking about?" Daisuke said, confusion written on his face. The Pokemon Trainer hadn't stopped glaring at Ethan. The man, for the most part, had remained calm, his icy blue eyes staring into her equally icy brown ones. There was something about Kanemoto's stare that made Daisuke shiver.

"It isn't anything important, believe me, Daisuke. It's all just hypothetical you know?" Nico stammered, shuddering slightly in fear. "It's just a guess."

"No, it isn't Nico. Stop being fucking scared of them!" the girl cried angrily. She took a deep breath, her glare becoming icier than before. "The two of us know who the culprits of this case are… I was hoping they would feel an ounce of regret for what happened. Of course, I knew Lars wasn't going to feel a shred of guilt, but Ethan? You… you are the one that pisses me off the most."

"Will you fucking explain what is going on? We're in the middle of a trial here and are wasting time. If you know who did it, wonderful. Spit it out before we all fucking die!" Bethany cried out in anger. "Praise be Atua… I apologize for losing my cool."

"You are entitled to lose your cool Beth. Believe me, I'm seconds away from losing my cool." Reukra said, taking a deep breath. "Kanna… would you please explain what is going on?"

"Yesterday, me and Nico were looking around for a Golden Ticket. It seems that our former guesser had been able to pinpoint the location of various tickets. She was able to get blueprints and find each room, but the ones we checked had been empty. However, we went to Parlor Suite B-68 in our search as well."

"Are you serious?" Dalila asked, glancing at Nico who's head was bowed. "Nico… I know we don't know each other much, but please in your own words, can you tell us what happened?"

"I… I."

"Ugh… just when I thought things were getting exciting," Lars mumbled, glancing at Ethan. "Come on, don't just stand there. Claim your reward… after all, you are the one that's been feeding information about everyone to Jibo. And for what? What is it that you want because it has to be important in order for you to even consider it!"

"So, you are involved in this." Haruna sighed, crossing her arms. "I had my own suspicions that you had your hands in the pot. You've been abnormally quiet since we arrived at Hora Village. Aside from your disgusting comments that is."

"That's because I don't need to sully my hands with this useless drek," the demonologist said with a laugh. "Besides, I haven't killed anyone here. That, however, doesn't mean I don't know what our little Cryomancer has been doing."

"Tch… out of everyone, I never thought it would be the Pokemon Trainer who would catch me in the act. I knew I heard your voice, even if it was a sneeze." the man in question said, chuckling. "It matters little to me… you are just a stepping stone for me in the end, I've got my own endeavors on this island, that I cannot put on the backburner. It isn't my fault that you couldn't keep quiet!"

"E-Ethan… are you serious?" Sayaka said softly, shifting her gaze toward the man. "All of this time, you were just acting?"

"Duh… of course I was acting. Like I said before, I don't give a shit about the people here… but I will admit, there is one thing I hate seeing, and that's when good people lose their relatives and loved ones." the man said, sighing. "I sympathize with you Reukra, and Miyaki as well… I too have lost someone dear to me."

"Sympathize… SYMPATHIZE? How fucking dare you!" Miyaki exploded, clutching her stand tightly. "You fucking go behind our backs and tell the mastermind shit, our friends and family get killed and you have the fucking balls to come here? And say that _you _sympathize? Fuck you!"

"I thought you were my friend Ethan… you were the first person I met here, I was beginning to trust you." Alice said, sniffling. "I couldn't have been more wrong."

"Whatever… the man betrayed us, big fuckin whoop. Can we get on with this?" Shiro snapped in annoyance. She crossed her arms, her golden eyes glaring at Ethan. "You are the mole, hurray. But let's fucking get one thing clear, if you fucking think you can get away with this, you have got another thing coming. I may be in a game but believe me, I am sure I can find a way to execute you."

"Shiro don't say things like that!" Miyaki exclaimed, worried for her sister. Her worry, however, was completely ignored.

"If anyone is going to execute him, it's fucking gonna be me. I'll snap his neck like he did with Felicks!" Ashton barked, earning a chuckle from the cryomancer.

"There you go putting words in my mouth Ash," Ethan said with a chuckle. "Whoever said I was guilty of this crime? Yes, I am the mole. Yes, I have been feeding information about everyone to Jibo. But as I recall, I wasn't the one who was given a special mission."

"That is correct… I was there and so was the bear. So… who was it that was given that special mission, I wonder?" Lars said, his gaze shifting towards Nico. "O' where o' where could our guesser have gone?"

"Alright! That's enough." the girl said softly.

"N-Nico… p-please, tell me you aren't involved in this?" Charlotte said, frowning. "You can't be involved in this… remember… we have an agreement for after this damned trial! You can't die yet!"

"I'm sorry everyone… me and Kanemoto were in that room yesterday. I admit that… in order to protect her from being found, I gave myself away. However, what happened after was something that I never guessed would have happened."

"They roped you in didn't they?" Miya said, glaring at the two. "You two are disgusting you know that?"

"Seriously… I thought even blackmail was beyond you, but you keep proving me wrong." Mariana said, shaking her head. "Someone should give you the 'Biggest Douche-bag of the universe award' because you seriously are, a fucking douche,"

"Keep talking sweetheart, see what happens."

"You even think of touching her, and I will end you." the treant said. Lars chuckled, putting his hands up in mock defense.

"_**Anyway, since I happen to be involved in this as well, I'll finish this up for ya. Miss Bessho was given a unique task. In order for her ghostly friends to remain unharmed, she needed to carry out a special mission. That is, to kill 4 hostages. And if I recall correctly, the four that are currently pushing daisies are the ones that Kanemoto hand-picked."**_

"Huh… what are you talking about?" the Pokemon Trainer said firmly. "I didn't pick anyone, you bitch. Now you are just trying to turn them against me."

"_**You think? Because I have proof and cue the feed!" **_Surrashakuma cried out. A holographic screen appeared before them, showing a recorded feed from the Parlor Suite B-68.

_(Video Feed)_

"You'll take the deal because, in the end, you are a coward. If you reveal what was talked about here, I will ensure you suffer a million deaths, far worse than what you've already lived through." Lars said firmly, looking around the room. "Same goes for the cuntbag hiding here. When I find you, I will snap your neck like a twig,"

"You don't need to threaten me," Nico said, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible. "I'll do it, just don't hurt anyone else."

_**"Sure thing sweetheart! I won't touch any of your ghostly friends. Bears honor. But remember, you got until 3. Either you kill those hostages, a body drops or you all die! Have fun with that!"**_

It was silent for a moment, only for a moment. Kanemoto soon crawled out from under the bed, an angry yet fearful expression on her face. She couldn't find the words, unable to speak with Nico right away. After a few tense seconds, she finally decided to speak.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly. Nico nodded, still looking at the ticket.

"Yeah… but you saw what happened. If I don't do this, then my friends will die permanently."

"I know… it's a tough choice but… you wanna come back to life right? In the end, you want to find a way to save your ghost friends. You can't do that if you are dead. If I were you, I would weigh my options," she said, looking at the ticket. "Not valid until April 16th 1912...tch.. what are the odds?"

"2243 to 1 I'm afraid," Nico said, forcing herself to stand up."I think I know what I have to do,"

"The hostages?" Kanemoto asked, causing her to nod. She sighed, glancing at the wall. _**"Leave the sick girl, Charlie's sister and Miss Del Rio alone. They're good people…"**_

_(Video Feed end)_

No one said a word, letting the information sink into their minds. Kanemoto seemed to be the most shocked, unable to formulate a single thought in her own defense. Surrashakuma giggled, tapping her cane on her seat.

"_**As you can clearly see, I did give our dear Ultimate Guesser here a motive. A ticket for the lives of her friends. The ones that died, are the ones that Kanemoto didn't pick out. Aikeno Orion, Kinzo Weiss, Holland Gehrig, and Shidou Hanao… all four of them are on your hands Kanna."**_

"It was Nico… she was the one who killed them all?" Miyuki asked, shaking in her seat. "I-I can't believe it."

"All because of Kanemoto's comment no less," Ethan said, shrugging his shoulders. "I may have been feeding information to the masterminds of the game, but at least I didn't go through with it."

"No!" Seisha cried out. "I may not understand much of what's going on, but I know Miss Nico didn't do this! She's sweet and kind, and she played cards with me. She's my big sis! She's innocent!"

"Kid no one asked for your input. We all know this bitch is a filthy killer, she did herself in. What's even funnier, is the fact that if she did it and she has a golden ticket, she's safe. So there you are… we just wasted time on a pointless case." Dylan said, chuckling. "I should be happy though, I didn't think I would have a ticket buddy when I left this ship."

"I… I didn't kill them," Nico said softly, finally looking up from her feet. She had an angry yet brave look on her face. She bit back her tears, pushing her glasses up her nose. "I didn't kill anyone! Lars and Ethan were there when Surrashakuma issued that motive no? Then you should know that my ticket would be invalid if I didn't kill before 3 PM today!"

"Huh… wait she's right!" Kanemoto said, a smile appearing on her face. "Miya examined the bodies and determined they all died after 5:50. That means that Nico wasn't the one who did it, not to mention she admitted to being on deck the entire time. So your attempts to shove this crime on her shoulders is moot!"

"That doesn't matter!" Reukra piped up, glaring at the woman. "Even if Nico didn't kill them, it's painfully obvious that you did. The four that you didn't list are dead, and only you and Nico knew about that aspect. Not you, Not Lars, and not Ethan. So how do you explain that?"

"So wait… now Kanemoto is the killer? I'm so confused now!" Ren said in his Goku voice. He cleared his throat, looking around at everyone. "We can do it, we just gotta believe in the facts!"

Eris shook her head, not knowing how to respond. She looked around the room briefly, trying to see if someone stuck out to her. A few people were shuffling around, others were standing still, and some were against their podiums. She felt Bethany tap her shoulder, earning her attention.

"What's wrong? You haven't said anything in a while."

"Oh… forgive me, I've just been thinking to myself. Trying to see if I can put something together… there's a lot of information there that is moot. If we can figure out who killed Felicks, I'm sure we'll find the one who commit this crime."

"You seem sure of yourself," Mackenzie said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Do you truly think you can find the culprit just by looking at us?"

"If you could do that, it would be impressive," Daisuke said, tapping his chin. "Eris is right though… nothing is standing out to me. Nico admitted to not doing it, and even if she had, her ticket expired… that's why Tsumugi was killed in the first place."

"You're right… that proves Nico is innocent. If she had killed those people, then Tsumugi would have been exempt from murder." Sayaka said. She glanced at the cosplayer's portrait, frowning. "She was trying to become a better person… she had put her days in despair aside, and make our lives on Hora Island as comfortable as possible."

"This might be silly but… going back to the locked room for a moment, is it possible that someone else was with Felicks?" Vanessa asked curiously.

"What led you to that assumption sis?"

"I've been thinking Charlie… doesn't it seem like this scene has… I dunno, two different trails? Like… first, you have the violent deaths of Tsumugi, Weiss, and Gehrig, but on the other side, you have the tame deaths of Felicks, Aikeno and Shidou. It seems as if two people are involved."

"That was my thought process as well. I couldn't exactly point it out but… if we go by the assumption that two people are in fact involved in all of this, then that opens up a whole new can of worms." the Missing Persons Investigator said. "When there are accomplices involved, things can get hectic."

"You should also be asking yourself this. Dylan said that he had no need to kill someone now that he had his ticket. Have you ever wondered, why does he need four tickets… wouldn't one suffice?"

"Evan makes a good point. You only need one to get outta here, why the hell do you need four unless… you want to save your accomplices asses." Diego said, chuckling. "Oh, this got interesting again. Tell us, kid, why _do _you have four tickets?"

"So other people don't get one, duh." he flippantly replied. "It makes people scurry around like mice, trying to find a way out of here. That makes for the best kind of entertainment!"

"I honestly don't know how you can get enjoyment from this shit." Ashton snapped angrily, his entire body shuddering in anger. "I can't… seeing people die like that for no reason sickens me. It brings back bad memories… and now you… relishing in the fact that they're dead, enjoying it. How could you ever call yourself a human being?"

"He was never one, to begin with… someone who loves seeing people suffer… is nothing less than a psychopath. He fits his title and wears it proudly, we shouldn't bother with him." Hikaru said, wrapping his arm around Rei's waist.

"Well… unless you all wanna initiate a sacrificial clause, there's nothing left to do but vote. Come on, I wanna see the wheel spin!" Lars said excitedly.

"Something doesn't sit right with me." Mariana suddenly said, narrowing her eyes. She was looking through her evidence, spotting one thing that people had neglected to mention. "That Planter on the Promenade deck was broken apart. The piece of wood from the corner of it would have likely been chipped, or even had a nail in it."

"Yes… your point being?" Shiro asked curiously.

"My point is… we've been trying to figure out who killed Felicks, and nothing stands out, same for Aikeno and Tsumugi. But there are three people that could point out to what happened. Shidou, Weiss, and Gehrig. Think about it, one of them was strangled, the others were beaten to death."

"I see!" Haruna said, glancing around the room. "If Shidou was strangled to death, then someone would have to stand behind him. Miyaki, how tall was your father?"

"5 feet 9 inches, why do you ask?" the circus performer asked curiously.

"Oh, I get it! If someone is shorter than you, then they can't really strangle you! You'll easily be able to pull the cord away from yourself, especially if they're shorter. But if the one that's strangling you is taller..."Nyx said, not finishing her statement.

"It becomes easier to choke them… believe me, I know a thing or two about that." Nico said ominously, rubbing her neck. Alice gave her a weird look but decided not to say anything.

Daisuke narrowed his eyes in thought, as he continued to listen to everyone discuss heights. He himself was among the list that could have potentially done it. But his alibi was rock solid. Eris had been with people when the crime was happening, and so had his mother and Ibb. He frowned, glancing at his mother who was standing next to him. She took had been relatively silent, only putting comments in when she needed too. He sighed, shaking his head.

"_I'm supposed to be the one putting things together, but I got swept away by the tide. I haven't been able to do shit since Ethan was revealed as the mole. It's clear that he has no involvement in this. But if that's the case, then what the fuck do I focus on?"_

"_**Honestly, I have no idea how you dare assume the moniker of Sparkling Justice. You were the one who created me, are you not? Then you should be able to use my abilities to hone in on the suspect."**_

"_Abilities? What the hell is this a Shonen Anime? Get real, you are just a personality, and before that, you were a book. The reason why I got as far as I did was because I had a team with me. My mom was the one who picked out my targets, and you know my cousin Anna was the one who confirmed things before we made our move. I'm 100% blind here… it's the reason why I wasn't able to save Jose." _the man mentally replied. He felt his mother place a hand on his shoulder, giving him a firm look.

"Hijo, yo se que esto es difícil. Pero yo creo en ti… yo se que tu puedes traer a este bastardo a la justicia. Cree en ti."

"Gracias mama," he said softly, closing his eyes.

* * *

** Shining Gambit**

* * *

"Okay… things are starting to get harder. We're getting onto something with the height… we might be able to single out the one who did Shidou in." Daisuke mumbled to himself, as he glanced at Ashton.

"_**Do you think it was him?" **_

"No… it couldn't have been him. Shidou must have been the first one to die, meaning he couldn't have done it. Alice saw him between the time she last saw Felicks and the time she got crumpets for Nyx. He's out of the question."

"_**Alright… what about Ethan?" **_Sparkling Justice asked. Daisuke glanced at the boy, who had his arms crossed, a sour look on his face.

"I don't think it's him either, he's not much taller than Nico herself. He couldn't have killed Shidou," he replied. His gaze moved onto Mariana next. "It's not her, she was in her room as well, I could smell the scent of sex coming off of her too."

"_**Aw, you sound a bit jealous. It's been a while since you got some, was that pity sex with Kiriko not worth it?"**_

"That bitch is still with Ultimate Despair, she was my friend once but when I get out of here, I'm putting a bullet in her head." the storyteller mumbled angrily. His eyes shifted over to Ibb, who had been quiet for most of the trial. He noticed something was off about her.

She was shifting her weight around every few seconds as if she was trying to hide an injury of some sort. He also noticed something else, her gloves were mismatched, it was as if she was wearing two left gloves. He also noticed she was cradling her left arm a lot, in fact, she was favoring it. Even with the slightest movement, a small cringe crossed her face, almost as if it were a subtle look of pain.

"Has she been doing that the whole time?" Daisuke said softly. Charlotte overheard him, causing her to look at him.

"Has who been doing what?" she whispered, not wanting to interrupt the debate. Daisuke gestured to Ibb.

"Has she been cradling her arm the entire time?"

Charlotte glanced at her, giving her a subtle glance. She gave Daisuke a nod. "Yeah, I noticed that earlier. Since the beginning of the trial, she's been behaving a bit oddly. Not to mention, this the first time I've seen her wear those. Are you about to do something?"

"I am… I'm about to make a gambit, and I truly hope it pays off."

* * *

**End of Gambit**

* * *

" And that's why I think it was someone who was far taller than Shidou. It makes sense, and right now, only one person is exceedingly tall." Miya said, glancing at Ashton, who gave her a glare.

"Oh, this is rich… you are just doing that because you resent me. I know you have from the moment we met." he said.

"Nope… it isn't that… you my friend are the only one that can-"

"Sorry Miya, I'm going to cut in right here," Daisuke said, causing the Investigator to puff out her cheeks.

"Why… I ought to… can't you see I'm speaking?"

Daisuke decided to ignore her, shifting his gaze towards Ibb. She gave him an equally firm gaze, slight confusion written on her face. "Is something the matter Daisuke?"

"Yes. I've noticed several things about you during the last few minutes. One of them being the fact that you keep shifting your weight around. Not only that, but you've been favoring your left arm a lot. Mind telling us why that is?"

"My heel snapped earlier, I've been shifting my weight because I twisted my ankle," she replied. Riku nodded, clearing his throat.

"She's right. We were on the boat deck when it happened."

"Okay, then what's up with your left arm?" Shiro asked curiously. "Now that Dais mentions it, you've been cradling it this entire time. Could it be that you hurt it?"

"I don't believe I have. I haven't done any strenuous activities today. Pray tell, how _could_ I have hurt it?" she asked, getting a bit defensive.

"I don't know why it is that you are suddenly ganging up on Ibb, but I promise you, she didn't do anything. She was punching the bag in the gym really hard, that's all. She might have pulled a muscle or something." Riku said.

"She just said she didn't do anything strenuous. Wouldn't hitting a punching bag be just that?" Mackenzie quipped, gazing at the man, who grew more nervous by the second.

"Riku, did you forget I was with you two? Neither of you were near the punching bag. Nor did you ever take a swing at it. You were on the Electric Horse the entire time while Ibb was admiring the art in the room." Maria said, crossing her arms. "You seem to be jumping at her defense quite a lot Riku… do you have something to hide?"

"Me… hide? I've got nothing to hide!" the man said firmly. "You all just randomly started attacking Ibb for no reason. Just because she broke a heel doesn't mean she's a killer."

"We're not saying she's a killer Riku, but now you seem to be growing quite bold. Are you perhaps covering for her? You fell head over heels in love with this bitch, and she outright betrays you, how's that for a hot dish of irony?" Ethan said.

"I don't need shit from you of all people! Shut up!" He exclaimed, balling his hands in anger. "All of you are wrong!"

"I'm sorry Riku, but this is my gambit! It may not be much but Ibb is definitely our culprit!" Daisuke cried, pointing to the woman. "Not only is she cradling her left arm, but she's also wearing two left gloves, something that she's never worn before! She is also taller than Shidou Hanao, making it possible for her to have strangled him. And as a final note, do recall that Ibb was angry with Weiss and Gehrig after they got her kicked out of the Smoking Room."

"It's a lie! I'm telling you, she's fucking innocent!" Riku cried out, body shaking with anger. "She was with me after I left the Gymnasium, right before the dinner alarm."

"Mom, when did they sound the dinner bell?" Daisuke asked, glancing at his mother.

"It was about 5:50. They always do it before 6 o'clock. We split up so that Riku and Ibb could change before meeting at the First Class Dining Saloon." she said, eyes widening. "That… that means Ibb could have really done it. Riku is probably growing defensive because he wasn't there, but he knows… he knows that she's capable of doing it!"

"And that's exactly why she's the perfect culprit!" Daisuke said firmly, pointing a finger at Ibb. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Ibb remained silent, letting out a giggle. "I'm afraid you are wrong… well… mostly." she said, brushing some hair out of her eyes. "Yes, I am in fact the one that killed Weiss and Gehrig."

"What?"

"I apologize Riku, but it was something I had to do." the woman said firmly, smirking. "You see… it's thanks to the SCP Foundation that I am in this hellhole. I've lost far too much already, but when things were going to shit… well, you know what happened? I was shoved back inside that painting."

"You killed your two friends, just because they shoved you into a painting? Did you ever stop to consider that maybe they were saving your life?" Vanessa cried out.

"I would never consider killing my friends, that's just wrong!" Miyuki added, a horrified look on her face. Ibb just sighed, shaking her head.

"You two will never understand the horrors that I have gone through. I spent 400 years in that world. Just wondering around, unable to talk to anyone. You don't know the horrors I went through, the monsters that tried to kill me, the creatures that tried to destroy me. But even in the darkness, I held onto the one thing that gave me comfort. My long lost love, the man that I can never ever be with!" she threw her head back, shoulders shaking as she began laughing. "This is it for me… I've got nothing left on this planet!"

"You disgust me… just because you lost hope doesn't mean you should take the lives of others!" Miya cried angrily.

"You… it was you who killed my mom, wasn't it? And Kiki's dad?" Reukra asked, ever so slightly. Ibb crossed her arms, hissing in pain.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I didn't kill either of those two idiots. Their killer lies elsewhere, all I did was kill my hostages. Besides, they weren't included in our motive. So I am not guilty of anything."

"Ibb… how can you." Riku said, grabbing her attention. "How can you just stand there and say that you killed them? This is all an act, isn't it? An act to hide who the killer is, because you care far too much for them."

"It isn't."

"Yes, it is… what about our promise?" the Neko said, clenching his eyes shut.

_(Flashback)_

"_Hello, Ibb… what are you doing out here?" _Riku asked as he approached the woman. She was leaning over the railing at the back of the ship, watching the bubbles from Titanic's wake slowly pop. She glanced over her shoulder, giving the man a smile.

"_Good evening Riku, what brings you out here?"_

"_I just wanted to take some time away from the inside of the ship. It's so stuffy in there. What about you?"_

"_Honestly, I'm doing the same thing as you. I'm tired of those stuffy rich people, acting like they own the place. Weiss and Gehrig are turning into real snobby assholes." _the runecrafter said, sighing. "_Sometimes, I wonder why I am even on this planet. I spent so much time locked up in that other world that, I feel out of place. Even with all of the English classes, I still struggle expressing myself."_

"_I have trouble expressing myself too you know. All my life, I've been treated like shit. My step-mother never loved me… in fact, she enjoys torturing me as much as the next sadistic dictator. The only thing that brought me joy was my Fandubbing Career. I came to Hora Island to get my talent and instead, I was turned into a house cat."_

"_Well… it isn't all bad for you. At least you have your voice… Charlotte can't even sing without swooning the men around her. She came here to become an Idol too… poor thing." _Ibb said. She glanced out at sea, grabbing a hold of the railing. "_Have you ever considered… taking your life?"_

"_What… what? How can you ask something like that? I could never do anything like that!" _Riku said, growing concerned. "_Ibb… please tell me you haven't had suicidal thoughts?"_

"_I can't deny I haven't," _she admitted. "_I lied to you… I came out here for a reason. I came to jump from the back of this ship. I was hoping those triple screw propellers sliced me up and ended my misery."_

"_Why? Don't you have anything left to live for? You are such a beautiful woman Ibb… you have an entire life ahead of you!"_

"_No I don't!" she shouted, pushing the man back. I am displaced in time… I don't know who I am anymore. My family is dead, my true love is dead. What the fuck do I have left to live for?" _she shouted. "_What do I have left?"_

"_You have me… and all of our friends." _Riku said, wrapping his arms around her. "_I care about you Ibb… I do. Ever since we met, I've been looking forward to speaking with you, getting to know you. I...I think I'm starting to fall for you too."_

"_Seriously? Why? Why would you fall for someone like me? I wouldn't make a good lover."_

"_I'll be the judge of that… Promise me that we'll get off this ship together Ibb. Promise me that no matter how tough the going gets, that you won't do anything stupid." _the Neko said firmly. Ibb sighed, giving him a nod.

"_I… I promise… I'll try not to do anything too idiotic."_

Riku smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "_We'll be fine… we'll both be fine."_

_(Flashback end)_

"Oh… that promise? Well, we can still hold onto it, if you want. I just wanted revenge on my so-called friends. Come on Riku… I'm sure they would have stopped you if you even tried to court me." Ibb said, placing a hand on her cheek. "They wanted the perfect man for me after all, and you are far from it, even then, I've grown fond of you."

"She's grown delusional," Alice said, running a hand through her hair. She glanced around the room, meeting their curious gazes. "You should all know this already, but this ship is affecting is in various ways. Ibb most likely saw someone else when she murdered those two. It's why she's like this… this program broke her mind."

"How the hell do you know so much about this? Even when you saw my sister, you seemed to know how to take her down. Do you know something we don't?" Ashton asked curiously. The veterinarian shook her head.

"I've got memories of what Jibo has done to me. I saw everything… all of the experiments he did with our minds. What he made us do… the talents, everything. It's not the first time I've dealt with delusions. After a while, you just learn to take care of them yourself, especially because there is no one out there that can help." She replied, holding back her tears. "No one except yourself."

"Finding out who killed Weiss and Gehrig is all well and good, but we are still no closer to finding out who killed the others. Jesus Christ, it's almost ten! We gotta put this shit to bed!" Diego called out. Ibb smirked, holding a hand to her lips.

"Oh… Do you want the answer to who killed Felicks and Tsumugi? It's quite simple. Have you ever considered that maybe the one who killed Shidou and Akeno was Tsumugi herself?"

"Tsumugi?" Sayaka mumbled, glaring at the woman. "She would never do that! She vowed never to kill anyone again!"

"You say that, but the possibility is there. Look at her victim file, look at the picture, her palm is visible, you can clearly see the cut on it." the runecrafter said, holding her ID out to everyone. "How you all missed that detail is beyond me."

"No… that isn't it at all," Angie said, speaking for the first time in several minutes. "You see… I was able to buy your story, at least for a bit. You want to kill Weiss and Gehrig, it's personal. However, blaming Tsumugi for this is where I draw the line. You are a cornered dog, and now you are trying to push away your troubles onto someone else. Admit it, you are the one behind everything, aren't you?"

"Big sis, why are you claiming she's the culprit? Aside from those two, there isn't much to go on." the Ultimate Pele said. Angie shook her head, giving the girl a wink.

"It's quite simple… I trusted the word of Atua. We never questioned what kind of injury Ibb is hiding. If she rolls up her sleeve, we'll be able to tell."

"Angie makes a good point… Ibb, roll up your sleeve. Show us what you are hiding. We'll know if you are telling the truth or if all of this is a fabrication." Evan said.

"Now why would I need to show you? It's a simple cut from the Planter. Weiss grabbed it and the nail dug into my flesh." she said with a shrug. Hikaru slowly stepped away from his stand, grabbing a hold of her arm. "Gah… unhand me! How dare you lay a hand on a woman?"

"Yeah yeah, this won't take long!" he said, forcefully rolling up her sleeve. His jaw dropped in surprise when he saw violet teeth marks on her skin. It was as if someone had tried and failed to take a chunk out of her arm. "What the fuck…?"

"Is that a bite mark?" Rei stammered, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I can see each and every single tooth," Giselly said, quirking a brow. "So, if we hold this up to Felicks' mouth and line it up with the bite, will you refuse that it's his?"

"Are you saying it was her that snapped his neck?" Nyx asked, eyes widening. "But… look at her, she doesn't seem strong enough to do that."

"You don't need that much strength to snap someone's neck." Ashton quipped, crossing his arms. "Believe me, I would know a thing or two."

"So that was it… the entire time we were standing here, beating around the bush when it was you the whole time. I should have paid more attention." Daisuke said, frowning. "I'm such an idiot."

"You aren't… if it wasn't for you pointing it out, we wouldn't have gotten this far. But there's something else isn't there?" Charlotte said, glancing at Ethan, who had remained quiet. "You were the one who killed the others weren't you?"

"What makes you say that?" he asked with a shrug. Charlotte crossed her arms, shifting her weight a bit.

"Because you have a reason to. You mentioned seeing your dead girlfriend earlier didn't you? If you killed someone, I'm certain the mastermind would reward you with a golden ticket. A ticket that you could use to revive her. You have more incentive than any one of us." she said.

"Not to mention, Lars told you to kill Charlie if you had the chance. Lars has tickets too, he could have already given you one, now that I think about it." Kanemoto quipped, earning a growl from the demonologist.

"You would be correct, but I don't have any tickets. I got rid of all the ones I found, 15 in total. It was rather easy to bust all of those 'traps' as it were. So again, I have no incentive to kill any of you." he said, shrugging. "And before you ask, yes I want you dead but only because you are useless to us."

"No one is useless you fuck, except for you," Mariana said with a sigh. "I think we have the most probable people for this. Let's just hurry up and cast this fucking vote."

"_**Finally. Jesus… here I thought you weren't gonna finish before the main event. You all know how this works, vote for the one that you think did the crime. Before you even ask, yes there are two killers. But you only need to guess one to get outta here." **_Surrashakuma said, a giddy look on her face. "_**Boy oh boy! It's gonna be so much fun!"**_

Only a few moments passed as the votes were tallied in. "_**Kukuku! What an interesting turn of events! Half of you voted Ibb as the culprit, while the others voted for Ethan. Poor Riku voted for himself. He could have been the tie-breaking vote!"**_

"So, Ibb truly did it?" Reukra asked, looking at the woman. "Why? What did my mom do to you?"

"She didn't do anything to me… in fact, she was just a victim of circumstance," she said, a small frown on her face. "Whatever the case, you at least deserve to know the unabridged truth of the matter."

_(Flashback)_

Ibb sighed as she walked through the corridor. It was only a few minutes until Dinner would be served and she had finally ditched Riku. She had been following Weiss and Gehrig for a while now, planning on getting revenge on them. They had become rather controlling of her as of late, and that was something that she disliked. So, she made a plan of attack.

She wrote a note, telling them to be in Parlor Suite B-68. She wanted to meet them there, but only because it was the place where they would meet their maker. She entered the Suite, closing the door behind her. She looked around, finding it empty. She moved toward the promenade deck, looking around for something. She spotted the planer, a smirk appearing on her face.

"_This will do," _she said, breaking the planter apart. She grabbed a hold of the broken corner. She twisted it around for a moment, smiling as she headed back towards the suite, only for the door to open.

"_Are you sure we should be in here Shidou?" _Aikeno said, as she entered the room, a soft rattling could be heard, from the platter she was holding. Shidou shrugged, closing the door behind them.

"_I just upgraded to this room earlier today. So as of now, it's my suite." _the man said. "_Anyway Aikeno… I've called you here for a reason. You see… my daughter is becoming a bit… annoying if you will. I was hoping, maybe you'd be willing to arrange your son to marry her?" _

"_Reukra? Marry Miyaki?" _the woman said, shaking her head. "_I must apologize Shidou. But my son is in love with Haruna. I want the best for the two of them. Besides, shouldn't Miyaki be able to pick her own husband? I heard there's a boy that she really likes."_

"_No… I want my daughter to produce a strong heir for my family. She's already shown an interest in women, especially with that little whore Marie. I'm glad she ended up killing herself, I don't need my little girl to be swayed by the likes of her."_

"_I don't particularly like how you are speaking to me. I am a very open person, if my little boy was interested in men, I would gladly accept him. Haruna is a beautiful young woman and she clearly has affection for him. I apologize but I will not force my son to marry your daughter, and you shouldn't either." _Aikeno said, said she set her kettle down, pouring some of the cooled down tea into her cup.

"_Wouldn't Miyaki make a better wife for him? She's younger and far prettier than Haruna. She's been in the service industry. I'm sure she's been around. I can guarantee you, Miyaki is as pure as freshly fallen snow. I'm sure he'll enjoy her more than someone who's… as they say... Been around town." _

"_My apologies Shidou, but this is where I take my leave," _Aikeno said. Ibb grit her teeth, moving down the Promenade. She threw the door open, eyes widening when she saw Felicks looking around the sitting room. He looked up at her, brows furrowing.

"_Ibb… what are you doing here? Are you looking for a ticket too?"_

"_No… shut up or they'll hear you." _she hissed, moving towards the bedroom door. She opened it just a crack, peeking through it. She held her breath as the suite door opened again, Weiss and Gehrig entering the room.

"_Oh… apologies… is Ibb here? She asked us to meet her here." _Weiss said firmly, looking around the room. Aikeno shook her head.

"_I'm afraid not. I was about to take my leave, good evening gentlemen." _

"_Aikeno wait… are you sure you aren't going to give my little girl a chance? I just want her to have children. To strengthen the family name a bit. Hell, I'm willing to let her marry that other girl, just as long as it's with your son."_

"_What part of 'No' do you not understand? I am not going to pawn off my son like he's a fucking chess piece. I'm going to talk to Miyaki about this too. You sick bastard. I know this game is getting to you but she's an adult. She should be able to make her own choices." _the woman said. She didn't even notice him breaking one of the teacups, grasping the handle tightly. Shidou grit his teeth, grabbing a hold of the woman. "_Let go of me, you bastard!"_

In a single fluid motion, the man sliced her throat open. The woman let out a whimper as she clutched her throat, eyes wide in surprise. She felt her legs grow weak and tumbled onto the floor. She took a few more ragged breaths before the life left her eyes.

"_Sorry I had to do that to you dear. But with you out of the way, I'll be able to marry my daughter off. Even if Reukra isn't ideal, he's at least better than that male prostitute Daisuke." _he said, turning to Weiss and Gehrig, who both had looks of shock on their face. "_Well… looks like now I've got witnesses to take care of."_

Ibb growled angrily, grabbing a hold of the doorknob. She wasn't going to let anyone kill Weiss and Gehrig. They belonged to her and her alone. She pulled the resin off the wooden corner, tugging it a few times before slowly opening the sitting room door.

"_Ibb… what are you doing?" _Felicks said, to no avail. The rune crafter wrapped the cord around the man's neck, pulling it as tightly as she could.

"_Ack… p-please."_

Ibb continued tugging on the cord, as Shidou struggled to break free. Eventually, he stopped moving entirely, his body falling limp. She released his body, which fell next to Aikeno's, the cord still wrapped around his neck. She shifted her gaze toward her friends. "_Good of you to come."_

"_What have you done? You know you are doing to get in trouble now right?"_

"_Oh? So now you are worried about me Weiss? That's nice. Considering you didn't care when those men tossed me out of the Smoking Room last night. I was just concerned for the two of you flagged them over and kicked me out." _she said, glaring at the two. Gehrig cleared his throat.

"_We didn't mean to do you any harm. The smoke was too much, second-hand smoke can cause various illnesses. We wanted to protect you."_

"_My fucking ass!" _Ibb shouted angrily. "_Yeah… while I was stuck in that painting for the last couple of years, I learned what you didn't teach me! I learned how to speak English!" _she cried, closing her eyes.

"_That is wonderful my dear… see, I knew you'd be alright." _a familiar voice said. She opened her eyes, seeing her one true love, Walt Rademacher, standing before her. She let out an angry scream, bashing him in the face with the piece of wood she had secured.

Felicks turned around, trying to head out of the room, only to jump into Ethan, who was blocking the door. He stepped back into the room, just as Ibb had finished killing Weiss and Gehrig. She slowly stood up, turning to face Ethan.

"_What the hell are you doing here?" _

"_None of your concern… I was here to meet with someone, but it's clear you are… busy." _he said, quirking a brow. "_I shall take my leave."_

"_No… now that you've seen what happened here, I can't in good conscience, let you go. So sorry, but I'll have to kill you too."_

"_I don't think so!" _another voice said. Ibb glanced past Ethan and Felicks, seeing Dylan standing in the room, a grin on his face. He was dragging an unconscious Tsumugi with him, her clothes partially torn off. "_Ugh… dragging this bitch has been awful. But now I get to do what I've yearned to do for the longest time!"_

"_You guys, please… plenty of people have already died here. Can we just let her go?" _Felicks said. Ethan wrapped his arm around the boy's neck, stopping him from moving.

"_Sorry kid… but we can't do that. I sought out Dylan's help because we wanted to frame Lars. However, it seems you have fucked that up for us." _he said. Dylan sighed contently as he finished tying Tsumugi up to the bed. She groaned, slowly coming awake.

"_What the… what the hell is the meaning of this?" _she shouted, as she looked at herself. "_Why am I naked?"_

"_That is because you are about to have the best time of your life Tsu!" _the Psychopath said, a grin on his face. "_Ethan, get the Fairy Boy up here, he's about to see how a woman is split open."_

Dylan knelt down, grabbing a piece of the mirror that had broken when Ibb had killed her former friends. He held it out to her, gesturing to Tsumugi. "_If you don't do it, I'll kill you. Believe me, I've got plenty of spare tickets to get outta this joint."_

"_Tch… leave it to you to have someone else do your dirty work." _Ibb said, standing before Tsumugi, holding the mirror shard above her head. "_So sorry, but my life is more important than that of a ghost."_

"_Wait! Don't do this… I know, I don't deserve to live any more than you… but please. I don't want to go yet… I have so much left to do. So many people I have to apologize too. I know that I used to be a part of Despair, but I want to atone for my sins. It's why I've been searching for a ticket too… I want to help the world recover from what Junko did!"_

"_Hmm… now that I think about it, hold off on killing her for a bit. There's something else I've been wanting to do with this bitch for a long time." _Dylan said, sneering as he reached for his belt.

_(Flashback ends)_

Everyone remained silent after Ibb finished her tale. She said nothing, silently gauging their expressions. After a few tense moments, she decided to speak. Even the sound of her own voice sounded far more calming than the silence.

"Dylan did what he did to Tsumugi and I was the one that killed her. I snapped Felicks' neck shortly after. Ethan meanwhile got rid of the evidence, the piece of wood, the mirror shard, and the tea set were thrown overboard. I thought Ethan had his bases covered, but he neglected to tell me Nico and Kanemoto had been aware of him being a mole."

"I didn't know Kanemoto knew, I had assumed Nico was the only one in the room. Lars, you should have surveyed the damn room."

"Me? Survey the room? I'm sorry, I could care less if anyone knows what my plans are. You are the one who wanted this to be a secret. Alas, you are the true failure here." the demonologist said, before turning to Dylan. "You… you had such potential. However, you broke the cardinal sin and gave in to your carnal urges. For you to become a true paragon, you must not give in to the sins of the flesh."

"Hey, if you wanna be abstinent, that is all you. But I am not going to turn away good pussy, especially since it would have been the last chance I had at fuckin that piece of ass" he said. Sayaka jumped over her stand, tackling the boy to the ground. She had her hands wrapped around his neck, squeezing tightly.

"You sick fuck! How dare you? How fucking dare you? Tsumugi was kind, Tsumugi had changed! She wasn't an Ultimate Despair anymore. She was going to make everything safe for all of us, and you murdered her!"

"Saya… Saya! Let him go, if he dies then you'll get killed too!" Daisuke cried, pulling the idol off of the teenager. "Are you insane?"

"Who cares if I disappear? I'm fucking dead already. Makoto, Mukuro, and Aoi have moved on! I'm useless, I'm powerless. All I can do is stand here and watch like a dumbstruck idiot. I couldn't even save the only person I had left from Hope's Peak!"

"Sayaka, you aren't useless." Rei piped up, giving her a smile. "It's true that we are dead, but we are more than that. We can go on until our unfinished business is resolved. Not a lot of people can say that. We can visit our relatives and our friends. I think… that's the true purpose of why we are still around. To say goodbye to those we couldn't."

"I agree with Rei… Tsumugi had a lot left to do. And it's our duty to do it for her… and what she would want for us to do, is to execute this bitch for what she did to her."

"No… you can't!" Riku cried, running out of his stand. He grabbed a hold of Ibb's hand, clutching it tightly. "I am not letting you hurt her!"

"_**Well if all of you are ready, then it's time to put this bastard to rest!" **_Surrashakuma said, standing up from her seat. She cleared her throat, a grin on her face. "_**Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls! I'd like to welcome you to the greatest show on earth! That's right, it's time for the never replicated and always appreciated Punishment Time! Oh boy, do we have something special prepared for our dear Runecrafter! Let's give it everything we've got!" **_she cried, spinning her cane over her head.

"No!" the Ultimate Neko cried out in anguish. Her cane struck the button, causing several thick chains to come out from the floor.

Ibb, however, managed to dodge them. She grabbed a hold of Riku's arm, pulling him along. "If you love me so much, then come on! Let's get the fuck outta here!" she cried, racing out of the room.

"_**Ugh… I hate when they run." **_the two-toned bear cried.

_**Ibb Roos has been found guilty…**_

_**Preparing Execution…**_

The runecrafter continued running through the ship, having found access out of the engine room. Riku followed dumbly along, still holding onto her hand. She was hobbling a bit, due to her injured ankle, but she wasn't going to stop. She was going to get off this ship one way or another.

"Riku… I want you to know that everything I did, I did it for you. I don't know why, but I love you… you are my Walt… the person I've grown fond of in this time!"

"I…" the man paused, a grin on his face. "I love you too!"

The two turned the corner, only for one of the stokers from the Boiler Room to be waiting for them. She stopped in her tracks, barely avoiding the shovel he swung at her. She pulled Riku along, trying to get past him only for the man to land a hit on her arm with the shovel, easily snapping it in two. The runecrafter let out a scream of pain, her arm falling uselessly to her side.

"Ibb!" Riku cried, growling. "You bastard!" he shouted, punching the man in the face. He pushed Riku back with ease, swinging the handle at the boy, easily stunning him. He grabbed a hold of Ibb's hair and started pulling her along. Riku reached out to her, blood falling down the side of his face. "Ibb!"

The woman was brought down to the boiler room and was kicked down the stairs. She screamed in agony, as the bones in her broken arm pierced through her skin. She landed hard on the ground, her dress having been torn from the metal steps. She forced herself to stand up, only for her dress to rip, leaving her half-naked as she forced herself away from the stoker. One of them pulled a shovel from one of the lit boilers, slamming it into her back. She screamed in pain, as the metal burned her ivory colored skin.

"_I have… to keep going… I'll… get away." _she thought, forcing herself to run. She gave out a scream of defiance, pushing anyone that got in her way. She spotted the door to the Cargo Hold and started moving toward it, only for one of the men to grab a hold of her hair. They pulled her back, dragging her towards one of the boilers. She hollered and screamed, digging her fingernails into his arm. Though with a broken arm, she couldn't do much.

"_**Your execution was going to be quick and painless, but because you decided to run, I'm going to make it extra painful. Well… someone else at least." **_Surrashakuma said as another man dragged Riku into the room. He forced him to kneel, in a pile of burning coal. He screamed as it burned through his slacks, searing his flesh. Ibb was forced to kneel as well, being forced to face the Neko.

"Any last words lass?" one of the men asked, as he held a cherry red shovel above the woman's head. Ibb didn't move, staring at Riku. Despite what was about to happen, she had an almost serene smile on her face.

"Riku… I regret doing what I did… I wanted to get revenge on Weiss and Gehrig, but I fell for a delusion. This game twisted my thoughts, my own anger became the end of me. I regret not getting to know you when I had the chance."

"Ibb please… there's another way. If we can find a ticket, we can get out of here! I know it's stupid because we just met, but goddamn it, I love you!" he cried, holding his hand out to her. Ibb gave him a smile, tears in her eyes.

"I love you too Riku."

The man brought the shovel down, a sickening crunch filling the room. Riku screamed as the woman fell forward, groaning in pain. She wheezed roughly, struggling to breathe. She slowly pushed herself up, looking back at Riku. Her left eye had popped out of its socket, the top of her head being crushed from the blow. Blood seeped from the wound as she shuddered, struggling to remain still.

"R...iku." she coughed, looking at the man. "I'll find you."

"_**What the fuck? Ibb are you still there? You're trying so hard to speak but you just took a hell of a hit!" **_Surrashakuma cried out, grinning. "_**You tried to run, but death comes for everyone, no exceptions!" **_

"Please, don't do this! Log her out, she can still live!" Riku shouted, tears soaking his cheeks. Surrashakuma grinned, looking at the stoner behind her.

_**"Make it hurt!"**_

"You got it!" he said, bringing the shovel back down on the woman. She fell a second time, unmoving. He continued bashing her head in, spraying the entire area with pink blood. Riku screamed and tried to move, but was held in place by the other stokers. Ibb's hand twitched as if she was still trying to reach for the man. He continued slamming the shovel into the woman, spraying the neko with a bit of blood.

"Well… mighty shame that a lass like this had to go. But oh well, we were given orders… men, get rid of the body."

"Aye!" the other said, letting go of Riku. They grabbed a hold of Ibb's deceased body, placing it into a wheelbarrow. One of her gloves fell from her hand as they took her away. Riku reached out for it, dumbly following along. He let out one final scream as Ibb was shoved into one of the lit boilers, the smell of flesh blending into the room.

* * *

"What… what the fuck did we just watch?" Kanemoto asked, eyes widening in shock.

"That… that wasn't an execution!" Shiro shouted, a look of utter disgust on her face. "How can you stand there and make someone suffer like that! They're supposed to be quick and painless, not like this!"

"Miss Dalila, I'm scared! I don't wanna die… I don't wanna die!" Seisha cried, burying his face in Dalila's chest. She hugged him tightly.

"You aren't going to die, I'm not going to let that happen to you!"

"_**I hate to say it but.. Don't make promises you can't keep!" **_Surrashakuma said, reappearing in the courtroom. "_**Anyway… since the Class Trial is over, you all get to go above deck again!"**_

"Above deck.. .what the hell do you mean by that?" Eris cried out, glaring at the bear. "I thought you were going to release us when the trial was over!?"

"_**When the hell did I say that? Kukuku! The Ship of Dreams is still on its maiden voyage! Things are about to get really good in the coming hours! So go back up and enjoy yourselves. Believe me, you'll want to unwind after all of this carnage. See you all later, kukuku!"**_

Daisuke watched as the bear disappeared, a frown on his face. His gaze shifted to Giselly, sighing as he met eyes with her. "You asked me to solve this case, and I couldn't… in the end, I was a failure."

"No… you saved us at the end. It would have likely ended in a sacrificial roulette had you not pointed out Ibb's arm. At least we are all still alive." she said, shifting her focus to Ethan. "Well… there's one us that still needs to pay."

"Sorry to disappoint you. But it was Riku's own fault for voting for himself… had he voted for me, then I wouldn't be an issue right now. Besides, you would use all died as I killed no one." he said, shrugging. "You might all hate me now, but I am doing the things I am because I have no other choice. It's the only way I can get Ursula back."

"You… you sick bastard!" Ashton shouted, glaring at the man. "How can you do that? Just kill someone that's weaker than you? And for what… a ticket? So you can bring back your girlfriend?"

"Don't look at me like you wouldn't do the same. You came here to revive your sister, didn't you? In fact, I'm sure you were planning on killing someone in this simulation. Alas, someone else got the jump, and now all of the tickets are gone." the cryomancer said firmly.

"I can't believe I was beginning to trust you. I was starting to see you as a friend, I can understand now that I have no reason to trust anyone." Alice said, bowing her head. "Why should I? Ashton blamed me for something I didn't do, and you all ganged up on me because of my past with Fenrir. I've got no reason to befriend any of you. I… I wish I had died on that Space Station… I don't think I'd be suffering so much."

"That's not true Alice!" Rei cried out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad that you got outta there alive. You are the lucky one, you made it out when me, Hikaru and Nico couldn't! Besides, she's having it much worse now."

"..." the girl remained silent, not wanting to acknowledge anyone.

"We'll be fine… everyone will be fine." Maria said. She shifted her gaze to Miyaki and Reukra. The former had been silent since Ibb had finished recounting her tale, while the latter was crying and hugging Haruna tightly, face buried in her chest. "Son… I'm going to talk to those kids… I think they need a mother right now."

"Go on Mama… maybe we should go upstairs. I'm… starting to grow tired of this engine room." Daisuke said, tugging his collar.

"Big Sis… are we gonna get outta here?" Vanessa asked, hugging Charlotte's arm tightly. She nodded, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"We'll get out of here, I promise."

* * *

_** xxx(End of Act 12)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 21**

**Ghost Peeps: 10**

**Hostages: 3**

**4 hours and 20 minutes remain...**

* * *

**A/N: Fucking finally… I just finished this and hoo fucking boy was it an emotional one!**

**I must thank Runicwolf for submitting Ibb, she was a wonderful character to write and I wish I could have had more time with her. But the victims for this chapter were predecided, my friends were the ones that picked them. So alas, that is the luck of the draw. I would like to thank you all for being so kind and reading this stuff. I'm trying my best, and you are all lucky I'm excited about this chapter and was able to push out the Investigation and the trial in a single week haha.**

**But now that the silly trial is over, we can focus on the real fun stuff! The fucking sinking! You thought the Ship of Dreams was going to survive? Nah son, that mother fucker is sinking! And it's going to be awesome to write that… it's something I've been wanting to write for years! As of now, this chapter has only 4 more Acts, before it ends! Just because this is the finale, doesn't mean it's over! The next 4 acts will just be under another call sign haha. I've changed it like 3 times already, why not make it 4?**

**And a final piece of news. After Finishing Chapter 2, Isle of the Damned will be going into Hiatus. This being that I will be writing chapters to keep them backlogged. I'll be going to Washington D.C. later this year, and I want to have something to post for the 5 days I'll be gone. Also if I build a backlog, that means I can do daily posts and I'm sure you'll all get behind that. I've also got something planned for the Month of October, as the One year anniversary of House of Horrors fast approaches! It's also the one year anniversary of my joining the LoD Discord, and being a part of this awesome community! It's been such a fun year and I've been a part of so many awesome things and met so many kind people. I'm blessed to have you all in my life.**

**Also, if you are going to Pokemon Worlds, well you'll probably be able to meet me there, so that's a thing I guess… lol.**

**Anyway, that's it for announcements. I hope you all have a good one, and seriously, thanks for sticking with me through these trying times. I know losing so many people is rough, but it's about to get worse for our cast.**


	28. C2 Epilogue 1: A Night to Remember

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Epilogue 1

A Night to Remember

_**xxx**_

**Location: Reception Room Vestibule**

**Time: 10:20 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"Would you care for another drink sir?" a man asked, causing Daisuke to nod.

"Yeah, and make it stronger this time," he said, causing the man to nod. Maria frowned, sitting back in her seat, arms crossed.

"Son, I don't think you should be drinking like this," she advised a look of disappointment on her face. "I know this is hitting you hard but… you have to remember what kind of game this is."

"A game where anyone can die at any time as if I wasn't already aware of that." he deadpanned, finishing the last of his whiskey. "Look… I get that you hate seeing me drink, believe me, I hate it too. It brings back bitter memories… of _him_."

"I get that everyone is recovering from that class trial, but there is a reason why I called everyone to the Reception Room," Diego said, standing firmly before the group. He seemed a lot more normal than before. In fact, he looked very tired, as if he had been asleep for a while.

"Well, will you hurry up? I wanna take a long walk down the Promenade deck. It's the only decent place on this ship. I haven't got the time to stick around and listen to your woes." Lars said firmly. Mariana stood up from her seat, walking to the man. She glared into his eyes, an expressionless look on her face.

"You will stand here and you will wait. Until we are doing going through this as a class.," she said firmly. Lars was about to speak when she put a finger on his lips. "No… you will not speak. We will treat this like a fucking classroom if we have to. Because right now, we all bombed a test, a big one."

"Then let's start with the obvious," Kanemoto said, staring at Ethan. "Why the fuck didn't you stop Ibb from killing Felicks? Hell, why didn't you let him go? The kid wasn't going to do anything."

"I don't need to answer to the likes of you." the cryomancer said, crossing his arms. He remained silent for a moment, sighing. "Look… It's not like I wanted to. I knew that if I didn't let that happen, things were going to get worse. Believe me, I have more information about this game than you think I do. However, I have been given a forbidden action."

"Forbidden action? What the hell is that?" Rei asked, confusion written on her face.

"I can hazard a guess," Maria said, setting her own glass down. "Jibo gives him information, and in return, he trades information. However, if he speaks about it, they'll terminate him. The bastard offered me the same thing. Clemency from the game… and in return, I had to sell out my own fucking son,"

"That means… my dad was probably offered the same deal… and Aikeno too." Miyaki said. She was holding Reukra's hand in her grasp, as a way to comfort him, though he was still partially hugging Haruna. The hostess hadn't let him go since the trial had ended.

"Honestly, I can't believe you idiots feel bad over everyone who died!" Dylan said, a chuckle escaping his lips. "It could be worse."

"You and I aren't done talking either, you piece of shit. How could have done that to Tsumugi?" Sayaka cried, glaring at the boy. She was holding herself back, knowing if she moved forward the boy would have much time left to live. "You sick bastard!"

"Pfft… oh, that?" he said with a shrug. "Ibb was lying through her teeth. I didn't do that with Tsumugi! She just said that shit for dramatic effect. Ethan can attest to that."

"Despite how much I despise him, he is telling the truth." the cryomancer said with a sigh. "Ibb stretched the truth during those final moments. I can't surmise why, I can only hazard a guess though."

"Why the hell would she do something like that?" Mackenzie asked, an angry look on her face. "It isn't right to make use of rape as a dramatic add on to a story. That's just sick!"

"Who cares?" Dylan asked, a smirk on his face. "I mean yeah, it sucks that they died here. But it's not like they died in real life."

"Dylan… if someone dies in the NWP, they die in real life. That was one of the things that Jibo told me about this game. It was knowledge that I was supposed to keep for myself. But now that the class trial is over, it's a moot point." Ethan said firmly. The young man blinked, shrugging his shoulders.

"That sucks… hey, at least we're all still alive right!"

Reukra let out a scream of fury, jumping from his seat. He tackled Dylan to the ground, throwing a punch to his face. He pulled his fist back, hitting him again and again. Hot tears fell from his eyes, soaking his cheeks. He pulled his fist back to throw another punch only for the Cuban boy to grab a hold of his hand. He smirked, slamming his forehead into Reukra's, causing him to fall back. He sat up, grabbing Reukra by his shirt, smirking.

"You know, I have tickets to get off this shitty boat. I could kill you right now and get away with it, you can't stop me. Not a single one of you can stop me. So don't test me… I've been holding my anger in for far too long. I will not have this all be undone by some soyboy who lost his mommy."

"Let him go," Haruna said, causing the boy to look up. He dropped Reukra, a fearful look on his face. Haruna was angry. Her eyes were partially shielded by her coral pink locks, but even then he could see how fiercely they were glowing. She cracked her knuckles with ease, grabbing Dylan by his hair, pulling him to his knees. "I am only going to say this once. You touch him, speak to him, breathe the same air as him, hell, if you even think about him… I will kill you. Don't you fuck with me… because I am not a bitch you wanna fuck with. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Is that fucking understood?" she asked a little harder, as the boy hadn't spoken above a whisper. He nodded fearfully.

"Yes! It's all understood!" he cried. Haruna let him go, and he scurried to his feet, racing towards the Grand Staircase, disappearing from sight. Reukra spat on the ground, wiping the trickles of blood from his nose.

"Fucking pussy, you should have let me rough him up some more."

"No Reu! I can't lose you too! Aikeno was a wonderful woman, and I can't live with myself if I let her son get himself killed. You were her little rising sun, right? Then act like your namesake and keep rising. Rise over the challenges this island throws at us. It'll be hard, but we'll get out of here, together." she said, holding her hand out. Reukra stared at it for a moment, before taking it in his grasp.

"We should start thinking about the most important thing of all," Giselly said, crossing her arms over her chest. Everyone glanced at her, tired looks on their faces. "How to get out of here."

"She's right. I had expected Surrashakuma to end this farce the moment someone got executed. However, it seems we are being kept here for far longer. Ethan, do you know what that reason might be?" Sayaka asked. She still detested the man, but he was a valuable source of information at the moment.

"I'm afraid I don't. Even if I did I wouldn't share _that _with you… that would probably get me killed. And until I find a way to bring Ursula back, I am not dying."

"See? It's shit like this that we are where we are right now!" Vanessa snapped angrily. "If we hadn't just focused on finding tickets, or on the other shit that is going around, then maybe the 7 that died would still be here."

"Oh shut your fucking mouth!" Lars snapped, pulling the bourbon bottle away from his lips. "You can't even come here and comment on shit. You don't know shit about shit. You were brought here as a fucking hostage, so you can't begin to understand what the fuck we've been through."

"Why don't you shut up?" Charlotte barked, throwing her empty glass at the man, who dodged it. "Don't you fucking dare speak to my little sister like that, you fuck. Don't you even dare speaking about your fucking experience here. You've been making our lives a living hell since then!"

"Perhaps we should break off for the night," Dalila suggested, looking up from the book that she was quietly reading to Seisha. The boy had almost fallen asleep to her soothing voice. "It's already getting late. We should take all of tomorrow to strategize ways of getting out of here. I'm still not sure if making it to New York is a good idea,"

"No… we still haven't discussed the one thing I want to discuss," Diego said, once again grabbing their attention. "What… what happened during the trial?"

"What do you mean?" Alice asked, confused. "You were present the entire time, do you not remember?"

"I am aware that my body was present, but my mind wasn't. You see… there is someone else with me. Someone who shares my body."

"Oh, this ought to be good," Shiro said, sitting upright. She rested her head in her hands, giving the man her full attention. "So… you have schizophrenia?"

"I.. wouldn't call it _that_," he said. "It's a bit hard to explain… you see, there's someone else with me. He calls himself the "Prince of Dim Carcosa." I'm not exactly sure who he is or what he wants. But I believe he was in control of me when we were in the trial. I remember falling asleep shortly before the Dinner Alarm, and when I regained consciousness, we were on the lifts."

"The Prince of Dim Carcosa?" Mackenzie asked, earning a nod from the Mexican boy. "I… feel like I've heard about him before."

"You have?" Nyx asked. "That's rather specific."

"I used to read a lot of legends when I was writing my books." the painter said softly. "If I recall correctly, the Prince of Dim Carcosa is an eldritch abomination. He's the soul of a man who's displaced in time. He wishes to find his sister and his father, and rightfully reunite with them."

"That fits in with what he told me… he said my sister Alejandra is a reincarnation of his sister Camilla. Apparently, she hasn't recognized it yet… this could be a problem."

"Hell yeah, it could. Especially if this guy comes out randomly like today, he didn't even help during the case. All he did was complain the entire time." Eris said.

"It's not like he can help it." Dalila suddenly said, causing Diego to look at her. She cleared her throat, struggling to keep Seisha sitting upright. "It was probably something Dr. Momota did to him. After those experiments, I'm certain not all of us would be completely ourselves."

"We'll just have to keep a close eye then." Miya piped up, having looked away from the napkin she was playing with. She almost wished she had her DS with her. "The last thing we need is this "Prince" to start killing people. This may have been the second trial but… I'm growing tired of seeing people die,"

"Same here kid. I never thought I would see that shit again," Hikaru said softly. Mallory yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"I think it's time for me to go beddy-bye. I may not be a narcoleptic anymore but I still need my sleep." she said, slowly standing up. "Goodnight."

"Yes, we have to take Seisha back to his room. Diego would you help me?" the dryad asked. Diego stiffened a bit but gave her a nod regardless. He easily scooped the boy up, as Dalila picked up his book. "Have a good night you guys. Dais, you better take it easy on those drinks."

"Yes mom," he said, giving her a wink. Dalila glared at him, making him set his glass down. "Ugh… she has the same glare my mom gives me."

"Good… maybe you need a girl like that in your life, someone who can give you the kick in the ass you need." Maria said, ruffling his hair.

"Um… I'll try my best Miss Del Rio!" Charlotte said cheerfully. The woman looked her over, giving her a smile.

"Oh… I forgot you two were together now. How cute, you are so lovely, dear. I'll make sure my son takes care of you and your sister too!"

Nico suddenly stood up from her seat, taking quick steps away from the group. She had a look of disappointment on her face. It was clear that she didn't want to be around the big group anymore. Some of the others had slowly started to disperse, while others remained seated in place. Daisuke sighed, standing up from his seat. He was a bit tipsy, but still in control of his actions. He shoved his hands in his pockets, walking around his own seat.

"I'm gonna go talk to her. I'm sure she still hates herself for being given that motive," he said.

"Hey before you go… I wanted to apologize." Kanemoto said, sitting up straight. She tucked her legs into herself, a far off look on her face. "I didn't mean to make a suggestion like that. It's just… Miyuki is sick, and Charlotte loves Nessa too, and Maria is just super kind and sweet. I didn't want to make it seem like Shidou and Aikeno weren't as important."

"It's… it's okay." Miyaki softly replied. "I know my father was starting to grow delusional because of this. He went and commit such a heinous crime. I should have kept a closer eye on him, I wasn't expecting him to lose his mind as he did."

"Even though I'm still mad, you aren't at fault Kanna. You were just making a suggestion… Nico didn't even go through with it. I feel awful… that entire trial, I was bitching and blaming everyone. It isn't what my mom would have wanted me to do… I've got to apologize to Nico as well…" Reukra said. He shifted his gaze to Alice, giving her a smile. "I'm sorry Alice… I called you a bitch, and blamed you too."

"It's quite alright. I wasn't doing myself any favors, especially since you barely know who I am. Aside from seeing the broadcasts to my last killing game." she said, finishing the last of her tea. "I truly hope we can become friends going forward… especially because it's going to take a lot for me to trust anyone again,"

"If there's anything else, I think I'll go talk to Nico now," Daisuke said, waiting for another moment, before taking his leave.

"Hmm… something fishy is going on here." Shiro said, glancing at Charlotte, who scoffed under her breath, her cheeks tinging pink. "Eh… not my issue. Hey Kenzie, you wanna sleep in my room tonight? Miyuki is gonna braid my hair! She can do yours too!"

"Huh… s-sure. I've never had a s-sleepover before. It'll be fun… we can draw too, I can teach you!" she said cheerfully. Miyuki stood from her seat, taking a hold of Shiro's hand.

"Then let's go… time to make the best of our situation. It won't be long until we make it to New York, so we have to enjoy this ship while we can. Even if people died on her." she said, leading the two girls away from the Vestibule.

"Evan, do you wanna hit up the Lounge? I'm sure they're still serving drinks up there!" Ren said, in his best Gildarts impression. The mythologist sighed, but gave him a nod. Hikaru stood up from his seat as well, tugging on his suit.

"I think I'll head up there myself. I heard Riku mutter something about heading there, I want to talk to him. Rei, would you like me to walk you back to our suite?"

"Hmm… no, I think I'll stay here. I wanna play some more music, the band liked me so much they said I could join in whenever I liked." she said, rising to her feet. She gave the others a wave as she headed over to the band, who all happily greeting her.

"I think I'm gonna head back to my room and take a shower. Hell knows I need it after today." Sayaka said, hastily leaving. It wasn't long before the others had also broken off, leaving only a few. Ethan sighed, resting his hands behind his head, glancing at the decorative ceiling.

"So… now that they're all gone and you are free to talk, why are you truly doing this?"

"Miss Del Rio, I don't think I owe you an explanation."

"But you owe me one," Alice said, glaring at the man. "I wasn't kidding when I said I as beginning to trust you. Of course, I shouldn't have bothered. Trust is a hard thing to come by these days.. Especially with the state of the world. You befriend someone and the next moment, they're hanging your surrogate sister from the bough of a tree."

"You know what I think?" the Spanish woman began, taking a gulp of her brandy, rattling the ice that remained. "I think that you are putting on a show. You act all big and hard, make yourself look like the enemy. When in fact you are just as confused, lost and afraid as the rest of them."

"Oh, that's rich… really rich. Sadly miss, you can't be any more wrong. I can't explain why I am doing the things I am doing. However now that my status as a mole has been revealed, I'm sure my privileges have been revoked. That means I'll likely have to collect my own silver tickets in order to get what I want." he replied.

"That's a crock-of-shit if I've ever heard one," Alice said, standing up from her seat. "Whatever the case may be, I'll be heading out. I promised Nyx we would have some tea before heading to bed."

"You've grown rather fond of her, I'm glad. At least there is someone here you trust besides me." Ethan said jokingly, causing the woman to stop. "You know it's interesting, I'm well aware of the things that happened in the Horizon Space Station. Far more than anyone here. I find it curious how Alice Bailey has a Fenrir Tattoo on her hand, while it's gone on yours."

"What are you implying?" the blonde veterinarian asked, glancing over her shoulder. "Because you seem to be treading some dangerous waters here, Ethan."

"Am I? Is your former training at Fenrir beginning to kick in? Do you feel threatened by me?"

"As if I would ever feel threatened by you. I lived with a madman who set traps all over a space station for Christ sakes. I don't know what it is that you are assuming, but take yourself out of it. You do not know me, or my struggles." she spat angrily. "So don't _act _like you know me!"

Ethan watched her go, a look of amusement on her face. He grabbed a hold of the half empty bottle of bourbon, pouring himself a drink. Maria held her glass out, quirking brow. "Well, don't leave a lady without a refill."

"It surprises me that you still wish to sit near me. Considering that your son could have died because of my own actions."

"Let's just say, I'm mildly intrigued by you. I also wish to know why you have a hate boner against Alice at the moment."

"Hate boner is such a disgusting term. A lady such as you shouldn't say such things." Ethan said, causing the woman to burst into laughter.

"Oh honey, if that's your attempt to seduce me, then you are failing at it. Especially because I'm a lesbian," she said, brushing him off. "Well… I wouldn't say I'm strictly against dating men, he'd have to be a hell of a good catch."

"I'm not trying to seduce you… but don't you find it curious that Alice has differently colored eyes?" the cryomancer said, sipping his drink. "I would assume that you know everything about the previous games. If so, then haven't you noticed one of her eyes is yellow?"

"I have… your point being?"

"Something fishy is going on with Miss Bailey. And now that my status as a mole has been revealed, I doubt I'll be able to find out why."

* * *

**Location: First Class Lounge**

**Time: 10:25 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"Sir, are you should want to keep-"

"Yes! Stop bothering me and do as you are told!" Riku snapped, causing the man to jump. He nodded, hastily leaving the man. He set his empty glass down, rubbing his eyes as he glanced around his empty table.

Riku wasn't in a good place. Not by a long shot. After Ibb's execution, he had virtually shut down. He wasn't expecting someone he had grown to care for to be brutally killed the way she was. He was still clutching the glove she had been wearing mere hours ago. Just thinking about everything made him want to puke. After he had gotten off the lift, several of the passengers looked at him, wondering why he was acting the way he was. It was when he realized he still had her blood on his cheek. He hurried to his room, scrubbing it off until his face was raw. That was when he had a breakdown. He hadn't cried that hard in years, if at all. He had lost the only thing that could have potentially made his life great.

He sniffled as he grabbed another of his half-full glasses, downing what was left within. He felt someone's presence and looked up, spotting the Former Event Coordinator before him. He sighed, leaning back in his seat. "What do you want?"

"I came to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk," Riku said, brushing him off. Hikaru said nothing, sitting down across from him. The man placed his hands on his lap, keeping a neutral look on his face.

"I know what you are going through right now Riku. Believe me… I've been exactly where you are. I was part of the Final Horizon Killing Game after all."

"Whoop-de-doo… you here to impart some profound wisdom on me? Because I don't give a fuck right now. I just want to sit here and grieve in my own way." he said, slamming his empty glass onto the coaster. The steward hastily returned, giving him another refill. Hikaru frowned, shaking his head.

"Riku, drinking away your problems isn't right. It's just a means of running away… I get that you are hurt because of Ibb's loss. I was in your place not that long ago. During my killing game, I ended up losing my girlfriend Rei. She was executed before my eyes… sliced in half by a large violin. It was… a dark time in my life."

"Heh… at least she died quickly, unlike Ibb who got bludgeoned to death."

"That's how this game works. Ibb bludgeoned her friends to death, in the end, she tried to hide her crime, and got bludgeoned to death herself. It's a game of irony, pain, and despair. I remember those days, I couldn't live without her. I felt weak and useless. For not being able to help her… what did her in was a stupid tape recorder." Hikaru said with a chuckle.

"How did you deal with it then?" the Neko asked, frowning. He was a bit red in the face from all of the drinks he had, and was slurring his speech slightly. Hikaru closed his eyes, resting his head against his seat.

"I didn't handle it well, I should let you know that. I reacted basically like you, secluded myself from the others. I became, as Alice would put it, a bloody wanker." he said with a laugh. "Eventually, I grew delusional. That was what lead me to my death… got my arms ripped clean off my body by an airlock system. Charles had it worse than me, poor guy."

"I'm sorry… I didn't think you had it that hard." Riku said softly, setting his glass down.

"It's alright. I'm not here to impart with you any wisdom… I'm just here to let you know, that the way you are grieving is destructive. It will lead you to a dark path, from which you'll never get out. You might even pay the price for it. So take it easy, relax, and most of all, never forget her. Use her death as a source of strength… and get yourself off this island, alive. It'll hurt, but she'll be able to rest easier."

"I guess… I guess I'll do that. When we reach New York, I want to give Ibb a proper burial." Riku said, setting his glass down. He sighed, a far off look on his face. "I still can't believe it happened the way it did. I wasn't expecting her to just die like that."

"The consequences of committing murder I'm afraid," the Event Planner said sadly. Riku gave him a confused look, tilting his head.

"I might be a bit tipsy but… Ibb never commit murder. She died of a heart attack in her cabin… don't you remember the doctor saying that?"

Hikaru shook his head, blinking a few times in confusion. "Riku… Ibb was executed for killing Tsumugi and Felicks… don't you remember?"

"Huh? Now I'm convinced you've been drinking before me. Ugh… we should probably cut off. before we end up getting piss drunk and pass out here." the neko said, standing up from his seat, stumbling a bit. "Come on… we can play cards in my room or some shit… pour one out for my fiancee."

"_This is wrong… why is it that he's acting like this? Could it be the program is still online? Are the delusions becoming… real?" _Hikaru thought, his heart beating hard in his chest. "_I need to get to Rei… before it becomes too late." _

* * *

**Location: First Class Promenade Deck (Boat Deck)**

**Time: 10:30 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

Nico sighed softly as she sat on the Promenade Deck. Due to the blistering cold, not a lot of people were wondering about. All of the deck chairs had been placed in their racks. She just sat on the ground, staring out into the sea. Lifeboat Number 6 was in front of her, partially blocking her view of the dark waters. She tucked her legs close to her body, wrapping her arms around them. She had been considering jumping off the side of the ship. The class trial had made her rethink a lot about herself. She had been indirectly involved in everything. She felt awful, about everything that happened in that trial. Though she wasn't directly involved, the people that Kanemoto had mentioned still ended up dying.

The Pokemon Trainer had apologized to her countless times, even though it wasn't anyone's fault. Nico still felt like it was hers though. She had tried her hardest to avoid despair taking over them. She had thought that after the Horizon Killing Game, she'd be able to rest easy, not having to worry about it. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the ticket that Surrashakuma had given her moments ago.

"_**Even though you weren't able to do anything, the class trial was entertaining. You did good kiddo, so consider yourself saved! Who knows? Maybe on the outside, you and I can be the best of friends! You would make a fine mole!"**_

"I don't deserve this… not when Tsumugi was better than I was," she mumbled, staring at the ticket. She reached for the top of it, about to tear it in half. She closed her eyes, arms quivering as she prepared to take the final step. She let out a cry, her eyes shot open. "Why… why can't I do it? I'm so damn weak!"

"You aren't weak."

She looked up, sniffling. She put her glasses back on, seeing the concerned look on Daisuke's face. She flushed brightly, and looked away from him, about to stand up. However, he stopped her from moving, literally sitting in front of her. Knowing she was trapped, she decided to just sit back against the bulkhead, closing her eyes.

"Nico… why are you blaming yourself for what happened?"

"You know why… thanks to me… those people ended up dying. Aikeno died and Reukra hates me. Kanemoto and I wouldn't have been involved if I hadn't been looking for that damn ticket. It's the bane of my existence." she spat, crumpling the ticket up. She pulled her arm back, about to throw it overboard. She let out a sob, lowering her arm. "I can't do it… every time I wanna throw it, I fucking can't. I'm weak and spineless. I don't care about my fate and yet I wanna live."

"And what's stopping you from living?" the storyteller wondered, tilting his head. "If you have a chance to get your life back, then go for it. It was rightfully stolen from you. Now you have that chance, one that everyone yearns for and you wanna squander it?"

"I feel like a dirty bitch!" the guesser exclaimed, glancing down at the ticket. "Why should I live when people like Sayaka, Tsumugi, Rei, and Hikaru deserve it more?"

"I don't have the answer to that question sweetheart. Truly I don't. The only thing I can say is that you have a wonderful gift. You remind me of Miyaki, in various ways actually."

Nico sniffled, wiping her eyes with her shirt sleeve. "How?"

"She was in your spot. Only thing is, she was already alive. She was a victim of the Tranquility Killing Game. She faced a rather cruel death, and her body went through an even worse fate thanks to Dylan. Even now, that video still haunts me." he said, shuddering. "She asked herself why she got to live when her friends didn't, I didn't know the answer then. I still don't… but I will say this to you as well. You get the chance to come back, a second chance to restart. To see the world, to put it all behind you. Why not jump at it?"

"I can see where you are coming from Daisuke. But my life wasn't all peaches and rainbows. If I were to hazard a guess, as soon as I get my body back, I'll get shoved into the killing game with you all." the silver-haired girl said. She took her glasses off, wiping them with her shirt. "I didn't survive the first one, I doubt I'll survive this one."

"Well, that is true," Daisuke said, frowning. "Life is just a guessing game. None of us know where we'll end up. That's the beauty of it. What's the point in guessing things accurately all the time? Isn't it better to let RNGesus decide your fate?" he asked curiously.

"This life isn't an RPG Daisuke." Nico deadpanned, causing the man to laugh.

"Hell yeah, it is! Didn't you read my Fire Emblem Story? Fires of the Shield? I based most of those interactions on real life. Sometimes you just gotta take a chance and roll the dice. Rather than guessing what'll come up, just take the number you get. Right now, that number is pointing you to a door. The door to life! Take it, Nico… take it and get out of here. That golden ticket is your chance at freedom, don't let it go to waste," he said, placing a hand on her cheek. "We'll see you on the other side."

Nico felt herself start to smile. She wrapped her arms around the man, hugging him tightly. It had been a long time since she had shown this much initiative to do something. Memories of her time on the Space Station flooded her mind. Despite the things that happened and how short her time there was, she was surrounded by vibrant people. Even if Hikaru and Rei weren't lucky, she would be able to live for them. She had made her choice, to embrace life. She wasn't going to let fate dictate it anymore. No more uncertain guessing. She would take the helm and sail her own ship.

"Thank you," she said, slowly pulling back from the hug. "It means a lot that you'd come talk to me."

"I had to. I need to start taking the leadership role a lot more seriously… I feel like I shoved it off onto everyone else. I could have ended that trial with ease, but my own apprehensions didn't let me. If I had, no one would have even found out about that motive you were given."

"I'm sure they would have found eventually," she said, shrugging it off. Daisuke said nothing, glancing over his shoulder. The ocean liner continued chugging on, cutting through the waves with ease. He shuddered a bit. Despite the thick coat that he was wearing, he still felt the cold.

"You wanna head inside? The temperature is dropping and the last thing I want is for a friend to get sick," he said standing up. He held his hand out to the girl, who readily took it.

"D-Daisuke… about earlier. I wanna apologize, I didn't mean to bring up Tokisaki's. I know you don't like talking about that book."

"It's… it's fine. It's one of those books that I regret the public seeing, but I never regret writing anything. It was supposed to be something kept among friends. Only 300 copies of that were ever sold and the rest were burned by yours truly. So the fact that you have an autographed one makes you special. Not a lot of people get that honor."

"Hmm… didn't you say Gilbert Gottfried narrated it? In that talk show, you were on?"

"Yes." the man said with a sigh. "I don't like talking about _that_. I'm pretty sure it was for a meme."

"I uh…" Nico flushed, her eyes shifting back toward the nearby lifeboat. "Charlotte mentioned our agreement during the trial. I just wanted to say that, we don't have to do anything. It was a spur of the moment thing you know? I was scared of being randomly selected to die."

Daisuke sighed, shaking his head. Of course, out of all the things she could worry about _this _was the thing she chose. The female mind was something fickle it seemed. In fact, he was reminded of his little sister Erika, and how particular she was about certain things, including her food. She was a seventeen year old by this point and he had no doubt that she still separated her vegetables. He doubted he could ever understand girls.

"Do you want to?"

"I'm sorry?" she stammered, a wide-eyed look on her face. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Well, you seemed so adamant about it before. Not only that but if Charlotte is fine with it, then I'm okay with it. I know we just got together and all but… it's weird."

"We are on the ship of dreams… things are about to happen," she said softly. She swallowed her nervousness, taking a hold of his hand. "If you are okay with it, then please, don't make me wait."

The man nodded, leading her back towards the First Class Entrance.

* * *

Charlotte sighed as she lay on her bed. It was one of the fanciest beds she had ever had the pleasure of laying on. Her sister Nessa had decided to hang out with Shiro, Mackenzie, and Miyuki, the idea of a sleepover had appealed to her. So she had the bedroom all to herself. She glanced at the door, separating her room from Daisuke's. Her heart swelled a bit. Normally, that door was kept locked by him, but now he had unlocked it. She closed her eyes, giggling as she remembered the kiss the two shared at the front of the ship. It was the most surreal moment of her life, and her favorite one in the movie. Being able to just be on the Titanic was a dream, but living out that scene made her giddy.

She also remembered the story that Daisuke had told her, making her frown. He had gone through so much bullshit in his life. She just wanted to hug him and never let him go. Hiyoko had been his true love and she had broken his heart. She knew she wasn't going to ever replace Hiyoko, but she wanted to keep him close. She wanted to ease him out of that previous relationship, so he could embrace his life. Just thinking about him made her grin. She knew she didn't deserve him, but she didn't care. Just being able to tell people he was her boyfriend made her happy.

"I wonder where he is? I thought he was going to speak with Nico. Is it really taking that long?" she asked herself. She glanced at the nearby clock, seeing the time was 10:45 PM. She sat up in worry, wondering if something had happened to him. As if on cue, the bedroom door opened, and in walked the man of her affections, and with company.

"Wow… that was just the sitting room?" Nico asked, looking around with wonder.

"Mhmm. This parlor suite has two bedrooms and is connected to each other by a sitting room. We also have a private promenade deck. According to history, this suite is the one that was supposed to belong to J. Bruce Ismay. But apparently, we got lucky."

"Uh… hi." Charlotte said, getting their attention. Daisuke shrugged off his coat, tossing it onto the nearby table.

"Hey, sweetie. Did we take too long?"

"Kind of? I was just wondering if you were gonna come back. It's already late and I wanna get some sleep before tomorrow. It's gonna take some time to get out of the Neo World Program. I want to at least enjoy the comfort of this king sized bed." the siren said. She reached behind her head, loosening her bow until her ponytail came undone. "However, since you brought Nico with you, sleep is the last thing on your mind."

"Well, we could all snuggle if you really want. But I think Nico would hit you." the storyteller said jokingly. Nico flushed a cherry red, looking at the floor.

"I wouldn't hit you. It's just… I feel really bad about this request. It came out of nowhere, and I put you two in an awkward situation."

"Sweetheart, it's fine. I'm sure any other girl would be pissed at the thought of her man being with another woman. I've never been in a relationship." Charlotte said, leaning back slightly, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "I grew up at home and was partially homeschooled. I didn't have the chance to meet anyone. When the Tragedy broke out, we were shoved in a bunker. The only guys in that bunker were my dad and our neighbor's father. Everyone else was a girl… I was severely starting to consider switching sides."

"That would have been a tragedy, because I wouldn't have a beautiful siren for a girlfriend," Daisuke said, giving her a wink.

"When do we start fucking?" Nico cried out, causing the two to look at her. Her hand flew to her mouth, cheeks flushing. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean for it to come out like that?"

"Someone is certainly eager." the pinkette said with a giggle. She stood up from her bed, shortening the distance between the two. Nico stood still, watching the pink haired beauty walking toward her. Ever so slightly, she raised her hand, tracing the girl's jaw. "You know, this is gonna be my first time too. I've dreamed of this moment for a while. I'm glad I get to share it with you."

Nico let out a small squeak as Charlotte gave her a kiss. She stiffened as the siren continued pressing her lips against hers. The kiss was chaste and sloppy, she could tell the girl didn't really know how to kiss. But Nico herself was in her same spot. Finally, after a few seconds, she started kissing her back, her eyes slowly closing. Her hands snaked around Charlotte's frame, tracing her curves, soft moans leaving their joined lips.

Daisuke rolled his eyes, but said nothing as he took a seat at the nearby tea table. He could feel himself start to get hard. He continued watching the two continue to make out and feel each other up. Nico was taking the chance to explore the siren's body, tracing her every curve. Charlotte was wearing a simple silk nightgown, allowing her to get a good grasp of what she was feeling. Charlotte pulled away from the kiss, looking into the girl's eyes.

"Kiss my neck, it's a sensitive spot," she said softly. Nico nodded, suckling on her neck, earning a moan from the siren. She looked over at Daisuke, holding her hand out, beckoning for him to join them. He heeded her request, a smirk on his face.

"I didn't think you had kink like this."

"Just kiss me." she snapped, giving him a glare. He rolled his eyes, giving her a kiss on the lips, trying to avoid Nico, who was in her own little world. The siren giggled as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. The two began a heated battle, which the pinkette was rapidly winning. However, she lost her will to fight when Nico latched onto one of her breasts. She pulled away from the man, moaning loudly.

"Oh… she's feisty." the pinkette said, pulling the traps of her dress down, allowing it to fall down to her feet. This gave Nico the perfect chance to bury her face Charlotte's tits.

"Maybe Nico just likes boobs.," Daisuke said with a shrug. He slowly undid his tie, letting it fall to the floor, as he unbuttoned his shirt. "I can't blame her, I like boobs too."

Nico let go of Charlotte's nipple with a soft pop. Before either could react, the Former Ultimate Guesser tackled the boy onto the floor. He let out an 'oof' of surprise, silenced by her lips. The silver-haired girl moaned, grinding her hips against his groin. If he wasn't hard before, he was definitely hard now. Charlotte frowned, feeling a bit left out. She crossed her arms, watching the two making out.

"_I'm a bit jealous of her initiative. I can't believe she's this feisty, she has such a tender touch too," _she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. She sighed contently, softly pinching one of her nipples, spreading some of Nico's saliva over her areola.

"You know," Daisuke said, having pushed Nico back. Her cheeks were flushed as she stared into his eyes. "It isn't fair that Charlie is almost nude and you are still fully dressed."

"H-huh?" she said softly, glancing at the siren. Her heartbeat quickened, beating hard in her chest as he got a good look at the girl. "I-I'm sorry. I got so into kissing that I f-forgot," she said. She hastily stood up, undoing the button of her Peacoat, quickly shrugging it off.

Charlotte took a hold of her hands, stopping her from continuing to undress. She gestured to Daisuke, allowing him to undress the girl. He took her blouse off, tossing it aside, before pulling her skirt down. She was wearing a beautiful silver colored lacy underwear set, the man was entranced by her heaving chest. While not as big as Charlotte, the guesser was no slouch. Daisuke reached behind her back, undoing the clasp that held her goodies in.

"Wait!" the girl exclaimed, causing him to stop. "I… I wanna do it myself," she said softly. Daisuke gave her a nod, letting go of the garment. Nico held her arms over it, the straps falling to the sides of her body. She let out a breath, slowly taking the garment off, allowing her fleshy orbs to be visible. She took it a step forward, pulling her underwear off. Nico adopted a playful smirk, as she rubbed the cloth against her entrance, before shoving it under Daisuke's nose.

"Well," Charlotte said, holding back a giggle. "She's turned you into a glorified panty sniffer!"

"You two are gonna be the end of me, I can already tell." the man replied. He took a deep breath through his nose, inhaling her scent. It was sweet and slightly musky, it wasn't a bad smell by far, but one that he quite enjoyed. He wrapped his arms around the girl, deciding to give her another kiss.

Charlotte, however, was starting to get annoyed. She was horny dammit, and she was sick of getting kisses. So she decided to be the bold one of the three. She grabbed Daisuke's belt and started unbuckling it, pulling it free from his pants. To his testament, the man didn't even seem bothered. It was as if he was used to being manhandled by women. Given his past with Hiyoko, he figured that was the case. She pulled his pants down, watching his sexual organ spring into the air. She let out a gasp, jaw-dropping.

"Wow. I've seen pictures online, but I wasn't expecting this," she said softly. Daisuke released his kiss with Nico, looking down at the siren, who had wrapped her hand around his shaft.

"You know, it isn't really that big, it's seven and a half inches."

"S-seven and a h-half?" Nico said softly, eyeing the pulsing organ. "Wow."

The two girls knelt down before him, wasting no time in starting. The two took turns, sucking and licking his shaft. They shared various kisses, spreading saliva over his glans. He sighed contently, grabbing a hold of their heads, a look of euphoria on his face.

A couple of minutes passed, and he started to grow impatient. He grabbed a hold of Charlotte's arm, pulling her to her feet. Nico jumped at the chance, taking his member fully into her mouth. Daisuke groaned as he bit and nipped the pinkette's neck. She groaned happily, a flush on her cheeks as she continued being turned on. His hand slipped into her underwear, as he started tussling with her private area. He could feel a bit of hair above her entrance, which was neatly trimmed as far as he could tell. She squeaked as he slipped a finger inside, it was a rather tight fit, causing her to squirm.

"Oh Dais… that feels so good." she moaned, throwing her head back. He was about to speak when he felt a knot in his stomach. He hadn't noticed Nico was going at it, slobbering on his member roughly. He took a hold of her head, pulling his dick out of her mouth, continuing to jerk it.

"Are you ready?" he said softly. She gave him an eager nod, opening her mouth. He let out a groan, busting his first load of the night. Nico happily caught it all, allowing it to pool on her tongue. She slowly stood up, pulling Charlotte into a heated kiss, sharing the semen between the two. Charlotte went as far as grabbing one of her legs, resting it against her waist, pressing her breasts against the silver-haired girl.

"Mmm." Charlotte moaned, licking her lips. "It's so sweet~"

Daisuke felt himself getting hard once more. He knew he needed to be more than prepared now. He felt the heat rising to his cheeks as he took his shoes off, tossing his clothes aside. It had been a while since he had been with anyone. He remembered his first time with Hiyoko fondly. She had also given him her purity, and here he was again, about to take the purity of two more girls, despite this being a game. He couldn't help but feel nervous. He and Charlotte shared a look, and while she wanted to be first, she knew how eager Nico was. She pushed the silver-haired girl forward.

"I want you to warm him up for me. I'll be watching you two so have fun~" she said, kissing her cheek. She took a few strides toward the chair that Daisuke had been occupying moments before. She sat down, spreading her legs slightly, her hand flying into her underwear.

"I don't want to take this from you, Charlie. You should go first!" Nico said. Daisuke pushed her back onto the bed, shaking his head.

"She's made her choice… she wants you to be the first. I'll be gentle." he said. She nodded, taking her glasses off, setting them on the night table.

She was silent for a few moments, slowly spreading her legs for him. She showed him her precious jewel, something that only she had seen. She felt her cheeks growing hotter, redder, as he looked at her vagina. She could hear her own heart beating hard in her head. She was keenly aware of everything. The soft sound of the waves outside, the slight vibration of the Titanic's engines. The musky smell slowly filling the room. Everything was heightened for her. She gasped slightly, as he rubbed the tip of his penis against her entrance. Her lips were slowly stretching as he slowly slipped inside. He stopped seconds later, hitting her barrier. They shared a look, a single nod was all she gave him.

The pain was indescribable. It shot through her entire body in one fluid motion, making her scream in agony. Her hands grabbed the sheets tightly, and she felt her legs quivering. Charlotte was there in an instant, giving her calming words, between kisses, making sure she was fine. Daisuke felt bad at causing this pain, but was aware that in mere moments, it was going to feel a lot better. After a few moments, she felt her pain slowly subside. She felt his pulsing length within her, its warmth and how nice it felt. Her walls were hugging it tightly. She felt complete. Every single tiny movement made her shiver in pleasure, her nerve endings were on fire, she needed more. She _wanted _more.

"D-Daisuke. P-please." she stammered.

He slowly started moving, thrusting slowly, making sure that she was comfortable. All traces of pain were gone for Nico. The only thing on her mind was the pleasurable feeling coming from her loins. She wanted more, she craved this feeling. Her soft gasps evolved into moans, as she wrapped her legs around Daisuke's waist, ensnaring him and not letting him go. He took a hold of one of her hands, slipping his fingers through it as he thrusted, picking up speed.

"Come on Dais, give it to her nice and good! Make this first time be her best one." Charlotte said, encouraging the storyteller. "We want it to be a night to remember."

He grunted in response, taking hold of Nico's hips, bucking into her. The soft slapping of skin filled the room, being drowned out by Nico's hot moans of passion. Her eyes were wide, a look of complete bliss on her face. Every single thought in her mind had melted away, being replaced with nothing but thoughts about what was going on. She felt her entire body being inflamed, every single touch made her shudder in pleasure. Her bouncing breasts seemed to spur Charlotte into action, who decided to suckle on her nipple.

This continued for a few minutes, before Daisuke slowed to a stop. He didn't want to blow his load yet, so he pulled out of Nico. She gave him a glare, feeling completely empty without his length in her pussy. However, seeing the needy look on Charlotte made her soften a bit. She wasn't going to hog the man all to herself.

"He's good isn't he?" Charlotte asked with a giggle. She had a look of excitement on her face. Nico gave her a nod.

"He's amazing." she breathed, her hand slowly moving down to her clit. She continued playing with it, moaning happily. "Oh… you'll definitely love it. It'll hurt for a bit but once the pain is gone-" the girl trailed off, not wanting to speak anymore.

Charlotte decided she wanted to try a position different from the one that Nico had done. She wordlessly pulled Daisuke to the bed, who said nothing as she forced him to sit down. She climbed onto his lap, feeling his length with her nether lips. Every single time his head brushed her clit, it sent a jolt of pleasure through her body. She had been waiting for this moment from the time she had gotten her first urges. The second she had locked eyes with Daisuke during the first day on Hora Island, she knew she needed to make him hers. She yearned for his touch, and it took him almost dying for her to realize that.

"You nervous?" he asked softly. She shook her head, taking a hold of his hands, placing them on her ass.

"I want you to have fun, from this moment forward, I'm yours," she said softly, kissing him on the lips. She took a hold of his dick, lining it up with her entrance. A single fluid motion was all it took for her hymen to break. She moaned loudly, her fingernails digging into his shoulder. He didn't mind it, he had felt pain far worse than this before.

It didn't take long before he eased her into a rhythm. Charlotte threw her head back, throwing caution to the wind as she rode Daisuke's dick. Every time their pelvises met sent a rush of endorphins and adrenaline through her body. It made every single hair on her body stand on end. Her pleasurable screams filled the room, and she was sure several people had knocked on her door, only to realize what was going on behind the door. Nico watched on, her hand moving furiously in her own entrance. She let out a groan as she came, a rush of liquid erupting from her.

"Hah… hah… that was awesome." she said softly.

"You better not fall asleep you butt munch. We still need to fill you up with some hot cum!" the siren said, still bouncing on Daisuke's dick. "So stay up!"

"Hgn… you're so tight Charlotte… I could watch you ride my dick forever." the man said. He spread her legs slightly, completely entranced by their sexual organs. The pinkette's cream was slathered over his shaft, turning him on even more.

Moments later, Charlotte stood up from his waist. She knelt down before Nico, spreading her legs, much to her surprise. She started lapping at her vagina, her tongue circling around the Ultimate Guesser's clit. She wiggled her hips, legs spread, beckoning Daisuke over. Her vagina was nice and slick, shining slightly in the low lighting. Charlotte gave him a needy look. "Come on Daisuke… I've been a bad siren. I want you to punish me~"

"Fuck, you don't have to tell me twice!" he said. He slipped his penis inside her moist cavern, her moans filling the room again. He gave her round ass a hard smack, her flesh turning red almost instantly. She moaned into Nico's folds, making the silver-haired girl groan in pleasure.

The storyteller grabbed a handful of Charlotte's hair, giving it a firm pull. Her screams of pain merged with moans of pleasure. She was giggling and laughing with every single tug, smack and thrust the man gave her. "_Just what kind of kinks do you have woman?" _he thought, completely shocked.

"Grr… smack me harder! I want your handprint on my ass dammit!" the siren cried out, an angry look on her face. Daisuke heeded her request, smacking her twice as hard as before. He was sure her skin would bruise, but she didn't seem to care, evident by her giggling.

"Hah… I'm about… to cum!" the boy said moments later. Charlotte gave Nico's clit one last loving tug, before spinning around, now laying on her back. She looked directly into Daisuke's eyes. Her eyes were glowing like a million aquamarine jewels, while his were as calm as the cool ocean.

"Give it to me. Don't slouch either, fuck me hard… I like it rough!"

The man headed her request, thrusting into her waiting snatch with fervor. He could feel himself shuddering, as he felt his coming orgasm. He wanted to make it last as long as he could. Charlotte's tongue lulled from her mouth, her cheeks tinged a lovely shade of pink. Her hair was spread around her head, her chest bouncing with each thrust. He didn't know why, but just seeing her like that made him fall deeper in love. He wanted this woman to be satisfied. He wanted her first time to be special, and he was damn well going to do just that. He continued thrusting, thinking about random math problems, delaying the inevitable as much as he could.

"Ahh…. I'm cumming! FUCK!" Charlotte cried, her back arching as she felt her body spasming. Her knuckles turned white as a rush of liquid shot from her vagina. Her screams of pleasure filled the room. It sounded like she was screaming bloody murder, her voice was beautiful, it had him hypnotized. Her perfect C-sharp was what lead him to blow the load he was painfully trying to keep in. Charlotte felt its warmth hitting the deepest part of her body, smothering her cervix in hot creamy cum.

He panted, sliding himself out of her vagina. The sheets became stained with cum, which rushed out of her flushed vulva. Charlotte shared a look with him, jumping up and pinning him onto the bed. She started kissing him, moaning from the sloppy exchange. She had tears in her eyes, as she peppered his face in kisses. "Thank you! Thank you for this!"

"I can't… breathe." the man said. It was then that she realized she was sitting on his chest, covering most of his pectorals in a mixture of their cum.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. She climbed off of him, noticing he was still rock hard. "Well… it seems my vagina wasn't enough to sate the beast within. Nico, sweetie… looks like it's up to you to finish him off."

"I'll try my best!" Nico cutely replied, giving her a salute. Her chest bounced slightly, making Daisuke smile.

Once Charlotte had climbed off of the man, Nico decided it was her turn. She sat on the man's awaiting cock, the feeling making her sigh contently. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, and she had her back against his chest, legs spread as he slowly started moving within her. He bit down on her shoulder, making her moan in pain and pleasure as he picked up a rhythm. It wasn't long before the Guesser was calling his name in pleasure.

"Hah… Daisuke?"

"What?" the man moaned, trying not to lose grip on her. Nico gave him a smile, placing a kiss on his lips.

"I love you~"

His eyes widened a bit in surprise. He sure wasn't expecting that from the Ultimate Guesser. He chuckled in his mind. Nico Bessho was definitely an enigma, someone who kept you guessing at what she was thinking. It was either that or the ship was finally getting to her mind. Charlotte watched on, a small smile on her face. To her, they weren't having sex, they were making love, and it was the most tender moment anyone could have.

It wasn't long that Daisuke felt a familiar sensation in his lower region. He was going to cum, and he was sure it was going to be a lot harder than last time. He wrapped his arms around Nico's body, pinning her arms to her shuddering frame. He picked up his speed, her soft moans turning into full-blown screams of pleasure, akin to Charlotte's mere minutes ago.

"Daisuke, I'm gonna cum… I'm gonna cum!" Nico exclaimed at the top of her lungs. He used the last of his energy, one last remaining burst to quicken his speed.

The two of them climaxed, falling tiredly back onto the bed. The man felt three thick globs of cum shooting deep within Nico's warm folds. He was completely spent, every single ounce of energy he had left, was robbed by the two women beside him, enjoying the afterglow of their night. He licked his lips, which had grown very dry, second before the two girls gave him a kiss.

"Thank you, Daisuke… for making this night amazing." Charlotte said happily. She lay next to him, one of her arms behind her head while the other was wrapped around his hand. Nico was laying on his other arm, which was wrapped around her waist.

"Daisuke… remember what you said earlier, about living?"

"Hmm? Of course, I do. Having second thoughts?" he asked, concerned. She shook her head, closing her eyes as she settled into the crook of his neck.

"Is it alright if I… spend my new life with you? And Charlotte?"

"Oh man… she's caught feelings. She's so utterly in love with you, how cute!" the siren said, causing the storyteller to flick her nose.

"I would love to Nico. If you are sure of having me around that is, I can be quite the handful."

"No worries. If I could hazard a guess, I think me and Charlotte will be able to control you. Maybe when we leave this game, I can take turns with her. We'll need a toy though." the silver-haired girl said, causing Charlotte to giggle.

"I'm sure we'll manage."

Daisuke was about to say something when he noticed the light fixture above them start shaking. The crystals that were decoratively wrapped around it moved slightly. He narrowed his eyes, noticing the entire room was vibrating more than normal, but it was only for a few seconds. He shrugged it off, taking a deep breath.

"I think we should take a shower. We wouldn't want to wake up feeling all sticky in the morning."

"Sure, come on Nico. We'll be waiting for you there!" the pinkette said, shooting to her feet. Nico was dragged along, without much say in the matter. Daisuke was left alone, looking up at the ceiling.

"_**Well Thundercock, you managed to get two girls for the price of one. I'm sure Hiyoko is rolling around in her grave right now."**_

"Fuck off, Sparkling Justice." the man spat, turning out the voice in his head.

* * *

** Location: Dalila's Suite (B-Deck)**

**Time: 11:20 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"Diego, I'd like to thank you for helping me with Seisha," Dalila said, as she finished tucking the young boy in. "It's been a bit challenging while aboard this vessel. Especially with Seisha's behavior."

"Helping you is no issue, Lila. You know I don't mind assisting you, besides you couldn't carry Seisha here by your lonesome." the man quipped. His eyes widened in shock. "No… what I mean to say is, I'm sure you could have carried him. You look very strong, despite your body type. No… what I mean is… what do I mean?" he continued, stammering a bit. Dalila's giggling served to pull him out of his stupor.

"It's quite alright dear. I understand exactly what you mean.," she replied. She shifted her gaze back towards the sleeping boy, a frown on her face. "I had to explain to him what rape was earlier, it was quite a difficult task."

"I'm sorry you had to do that. I wasn't expecting something like this to present itself aboard this vessel. I had hoped people would be above that, but apparently not."

"People under pressure can do a lot of awful things. I can't say I've had my fair share of that… but I was hoping not to explain that to someone so young." the dryad said, taking a seat at the nearby tea table. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Seisha's behavior is a bit… odd."

"He has the behavior of a small child. There is something about him that doesn't rub me the wrong way," Diego said. The young woman nodded, glancing over to the bed. She saw Seisha smiling in his sleep, still clutching Moby Dick in his grasp. She slowly got out of her seat, walking over to Diego.

"Come on, the Promenade is a bit quieter," she said. Diego said nothing, allowing the young woman to lead him out to the Promenade. She shivered as the cold air hit her. Diego himself wasn't too bothered by it, in fact, he relished in the cold. He walked toward the railing, peering out the window.

"Wow… the ocean is really calm tonight," he said softly. He took a deep breath through his nose, sighing contentedly. "We used to go to Acapulco every summer, so I got used to the sea spray. It smells great."

"I don't think I've ever seen such a flat calm." the girl said, resting her arms over the railing. She glanced at the boy, giving him a small smile. "Diego, I wanted to talk to you about something,"

"That being?"

"It's about what happened the other night," she said, sheepishly looking away. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, taking a deep breath. "I'm sure you were confused about what I meant."

"You mean your wish?" he asked, causing her to nod. "You don't have to explain yourself, Lila, I'm sure I know what you meant."

"Do you? You know little about me… how could you even know?"

"It isn't hard to guess," he shrugged. "You've been through a lot of shit. Just from your expression and your body language, I can tell it's some heavy shit. Would you… would you like to talk about it?"

Dalila remained quiet, not knowing what to say. She wanted to speak about everything, but she wasn't sure if she should. There were a great many things that had happened to her in her life, things that she wasn't ready to speak about. She cleared her throat, finally getting the courage to speak.

"There is a lot that I don't want to talk about. I can talk about my family, you mentioned having an older sister. I myself have siblings."

"Oh… you do?"

"Yes, they're all younger than me. I did my best to take care of them, my mother… she is very sick. So much so that she can hardly get out of bed. I decided to stop going to school, just so I could help her out. I made sure my brothers got to school and got the best education possible. Of course, when you live in Kenya, it's quite difficult."

"I see," Diego said softly.

"I love my brothers dearly, but things became quite challenging. Due to the Tragedy, food became scarce. Africa was going through hard times, the entire country of Ethiopia was quarantined due to an Ebola outbreak. I believe Ultimate Despair was the one that began spreading the sickness. Egypt was attacked repeatedly, but they managed to survive."

"It was the same in Mexico." the boy said, looking away from the girl. "Several cities were destroyed by Despair. Mexico City was devastated, men, women, and children were killed left and right. I remember, Acapulco was ransacked. Ultimate Despair destroyed all of the beachside resorts, killing everyone instantly. It wasn't long before the country fell… somehow America held on the longest, even with hundreds of thousands dying,"

"Hard to believe that just a few years ago, everything was normal. And now… everything is in shambles. No matter what it is, despair always manages to win."

"You're wrong Dalila." the Mexican boy said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Despair isn't going to win this time."

The dryad smiled, giving him a nod, she pulled him a little closer. Her arm wrapped around his waist, as she held him close. "There are things I want to talk to you about Diego… I do hope you'll be there when I am ready."

"Of course Dalila, if you'll allow me. I'll always be here to listen to your troubles," he said. The man felt bold, placing a tender kiss on her cheek. Dalila gasped, a cute giggle leaving her lips.

"D-Diego."

"Yes?"

"You missed," she said cheekily, placing a kiss on his lips. The man's eyes widened in surprise, but he melted into the kiss. He pressed his lips against hers, a little harder a giddy feeling running through his body. That is until he heard the door open and close. The two pulled away, heading back toward the bedroom entrance.

"Seisha?" Dalila called out, as she looked around the room. She noticed the boy wasn't in bed. She shortened the distance between herself and the bathroom door, giving it a knock. "Seisha, are you in there?" she was met with silence.

"I don't think he's here. It sounded like the entrance door opening and closing," Diego said. He walked over to it, throwing it open. He looked around for a moment, seeing a few people walking around. He noticed a stewardess, walking up the hall. He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, miss?"

"Good evening sir, is something amiss?" she asked politely. He noticed her nametag, which read Lucy. He gave her a smile.

"Miss Lucy, one of my friends left the room just now. He's about 14 years old, with short violet hair, he was wearing a pair of Pajamas. Have you perhaps seen him?"

"Hmm… I don't believe I have. Perhaps some of the other stewards have seen him. Forgive me, I'm bringing something to the Countess of Rothes. If you'd like, I can pass a message off to the others so they can keep their eye out."

"I appreciate it miss. I'll be looking for him myself, I'll return to the Grand Staircase in a few minutes. Please if you find him, bring him there, and make sure he doesn't leave."

"Of course sir, please excuse me."

"Did she see him?" Dalila asked, causing Diego to glance over his shoulder. He sighed, shaking his head.

"No, she didn't. Let's go look for him, he couldn't have gone that far," he said.

"Okay… I'll leave the door open in case he comes back here. He couldn't have gotten that far." She said, a worried look appearing on her face. "I hope we can find him soon, I don't want anything to happen before we reach New York. We have plans for what we'll do once we make it there."

"Plans?" the man furrowed his brows. "What plans?"

"You know… plans for our new lives of course. I might be a bit young to be a mother, but he needs all the help he can get. My parents are waiting for us in Telegraph City, California. Father has started building a house there for us." she said happily. "Oh, I can't wait for you to meet them, they'll love you!"

Diego could only stare at her, confusion on his face.

* * *

** Location: Forward Well-Deck (C-Deck)**

**Time: 11:35 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"I wanted to apologize to you, Reukra. Things escalated quickly and ended up leading into that trial. I truthfully never considered my dad capable of that. Aikeno didn't deserve that fate, and I feel especially bad that I was indirectly involved."

"You don't have to blame yourself Miyaki." the boy softly replied. His eyes scanned around the well-deck, seeing a few others walking around. It was bitterly cold, so not a lot of people were wondering about. Music could be heard coming from the Third Class common area, along with claps and cheers. He felt Haruna taking his hand, calming him down a bit. "Your father was just deluded. If what Ibb said was right, then mom cared about your wellbeing just as much as she did mine."

"Things have gone so out of hand lately that, I honestly have a hard time believing this is a game. I'm starting to lose touch with myself, it feels more and more real by the second." the circus performer said, a look of worry on her face. "I'm scared guys… that soon we'll think this is real life, and we won't be able to escape it."

"Worrying about that is the least of our concerns." Haruna quipped, shuddering from the cold. "If we start to think of this as real life, then we won't be able to escape. Even now, I noticed a few of our friends are losing touch. If we lose Giselly, we might never make it out."

"It'll be fine Haru! Miyaki knows how to get to the Marconi Room, she knows the credentials too. She can easily get in and free us!"

"Don't have so much faith in me," the girl said, a slight flush on her face. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I'm not Gis, I can't hack for shit. Hell, the only hacking I can do is taking my friend's phone and posting something stupid on their Facebook."

"Who the hell uses Facebook anymore?" Reukra said, earning a shrug from Haruna.

"I use Tumblr myself. They have a lot of cute art."

"S-sorry… I'm still getting used to the time displacement," she said, shaking her head. "Ibb had it harder than I did. I can't wrap my mind around losing two years. But 400? I can tell why she did what she did. She was finally free of that hell, only to be forcefully shoved back in… I don't think I could have handled it,"

"She was misguided. The things she did were a direct result of this damn killing game. I'm sure Doctor Momota and his lackeys are laughing right about now." the duplicator spat. He felt Haruna shivering, and noticed her rubbing her arms. "Haru… if you are cold we can head back inside."

"No, it's fine… I want to take a break from being inside. It's so stuffy in there." she admitted. Her cheeks and nose were flushed from the cold, the wind was blowing her way perfectly. Reukra, could feel the heat in his cheeks rising. He shrugged his coat off and placed it around her shoulders. She let out a small gasped, pulling it closer to herself. "T-thank you, Reu."

"Sure thing Haru."

"Aw… you two are so cute together. I think I'll take my leave, let you two enjoy yourselves out here." Miyaki said. She briefly gave the two a hug, waving as she left.

"She's a sweetheart… even though she's forcing herself to smile, you can see the pain in her eyes." the hostess said.

"Yeah… we'll be fine. I miss my mom… I'll miss her forever, but she wouldn't want me to mope around. I'll take care of her… and you." the boy said bravely, giving Haruna a peck on the cheek. She giggled, smiling.

"Oh bollocks, it's so bloody cold." a voice called out, causing the couple to look up. They were standing near the forward mast, and could see the lookouts up in the Crow's Nest. Reukra chuckled, shaking his head.

"I do not feel for them. I know there are jobs people have to do, but that is one that I wouldn't be willing to."

"Don't say that! One of these days, it might be you up there."

"Well, I wouldn't mind it, so long as you were up there with me," he said, giving her a kiss on the lips. She moaned in surprise, returning his kiss with fervor.

Miyaki, who had made it up to the Bridge, couldn't help but smile at the two. She knew she wasn't allowed up there, but she had a good view of the forward well deck. There was an officer nearby, one she had met on the tour named William Murdoch. They shared a look, and while the blonde young lady wanted to leave, the man silently gestured for her to stay.

At that moment, Miyaki felt calm. She was glad that, even in tragedy, her friends were able to find happiness. She took a deep breath, the salty air and cold breeze felt wonderful. She pictured herself back in the real world, grinning as she did various flips through the air. All around her, she could see the faces of the crowds that had gathered, the familiar red and white tents that formed her former circus were brought back to life. The elephants were running around, the jugglers were juggling flaming pins and swords, and the acrobatics were doing insane feats. She could even see her friends, Kitty, leading a small group of big cats from the back, each roaring louder than the last. Only for the king of the jungle to beat them all. And of course, Peter, standing in the middle of the ring, singing contently and showing off his pride and joy. She was home. At least, until a ringing bell cut her out of her stupor.

"What… what was that?" she asked softly, only to hear a phone ringing in the bridge. She looked ahead of the ship, eyes widening in shock when she saw a large floating piece of ice, sitting before them.

Murdoch jumped back, racing towards the bridge, just as another officer came out. "Iceberg, right ahead! Hard to Starboard!"

He raced into the bridge, grabbing a hold of the telegraph, rapidly pulling and pushing the handles, the dinging alarms filling the area. Miyaki peeked in, seeing the helmsman spinning the wheel as hard as he could. It stopped suddenly with a rather loud jerk, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the handles. "Helms hard over!"

"The helm is hard over, sir!" another officer cried, as Murdoch ran back onto the balcony. He jumped onto the ledge, hanging onto the hardwood railing as he stared outward. No one on the well-deck was even aware of what was going on around them. Miyaki noticed someone running up the stairs, heading toward the forward bow.

"Come on big girl, turn." the man whispered softly, his eyes focused firmly on the iceberg ahead of them. Ever so slightly, the ship started to turn. Miyaki felt her heart beating hard under her ribcage, and after a moment, she moved toward the stairwell, racing down the stairs and onto C-Deck. Just as she made it to the gate that led down to the well-deck she heard a loud shout.

"It's gonna hit!"

Moments later, the ship collided with the iceberg, causing the entirety of it to jerk slightly. Miyaki squeaked in surprise, grasping the railing tightly as she descended. The loud scratching noise in her ears was grating. Down on the deck, Haruna and Reukra broke from their kiss, looking at each other in confusion as the ship started to vibrate.

Everyone could only watch as the ship moved forward, the iceberg slowly scraping up against it. Miyaki had made it down in time, grabbing Reukra and Haruna's hands. They gave a cry of surprise. "Move back!" she exclaimed, as the crane struck a chunk of the ice, causing large pieces of it to fall onto the well-deck.

The distant call of "_Hard to Port" _rung through the bridge, as the helmsman turned the ship to port. The ship slowly pulled away from the iceberg, as they ran towards the edge, looking over it. The ship continued onward, leaving the large piece of ice completely behind. It wasn't long before it slowed to a complete stop, several miles away from the collision site.

"That was a close shave, wasn't it?" Haruna asked, pulling back from the rail.

"It was… thanks, Miyaki. We would have likely gotten hurt by that ice." the duplicator said, earning a smile from the girl.

"It's no problem. I saw it from the bridge, I was coming down here to warn the two of you when it hit," she said, her smile shifted to a look of concern. "It was a nasty hit, do you think it'll be fine?"

Reukra shrugged, peering over the edge again. He narrowed his eyes a bit, trying to look below the waterline, though it was too dark to tell. "It looks alright. The forepeak probably took most of the impact. I think it's fine, won't be long until we're on our way," he said. He didn't notice Haruna grab a small piece of ice, a smirk on her face.

She shoved it down his shirt, causing him to scream in surprise. He hopped around, shaking the piece of ice from his shirt. He turned around, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Alright you, you're going overboard!"

"Wah! No Reu! I don't wanna go overboard!" she cried, laughing as he tickled her sides. Miyaki rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Let's head inside, we could use something to warm up."

The group of three started heading back towards the stairs, they started the slow ascent, only to stop when the gate opened. A few officers came down, along with Thomas Andrews, who Miyaki easily recognized. He had a look of worry written on his face. "Have you surveyed the damage?"

"Not yet, sir, there are reports of water being 14 feet above the waterline." the man replied. Andrews gave him a nod.

"Can we shore up?"

"Only if the pumps get ahead."

"The mail room is worse, I hear she's already under water."

Miyaki shared a look with Reukra and Haruna, both of them being looks of worry. She glanced back at Andrews, seeing him going below decks. "This is bad,"

"We should meet up with the others," Haruna said firmly. With that, the three went back onto C-Deck, heading up the Promenade towards the First Class Entrance.

* * *

** Location: Grand Staircase**

**Time: 11:50 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"An Iceberg?" Maria asked, earning nods from the three.

"We were on the well-deck, shooting the breeze when it happened. It came out of nowhere, I couldn't even see it until the ship was right on it." Miyaki said.

"If it wasn't for her, I'm sure we would have been crushed by the large blocks," Reukra added softly. "We also saw Thomas Andrews… looked rather worried,"

"Andrews… he's the man that gave us the tour right?" Ethan said, narrowing his eyes. "We finished the tour earlier. Remember, this ship is split into various compartments. If something bad happens, they'll just close the watertight doors. That's one of the key features of Titanic. This ship is unsinkable."

"I'm more than certain this ship won't sink. I mean come on, it's called the 'Unsinkable Titanic' after all. People are just freaking out for no reason!" Shiro said, yawning. "We should get back to our cabins. It's really late and I'm tired,"

"Shiro… maybe we should stay up." Mackenzie said, sounding worried. "You know, in case something happens." the white-haired girl sighed, giving her a nod. Mackenzie sighed, being thankful that her friend had agreed. Sayaka, Ren, and Angie walked down from the Palm Court, followed by Bethany who was clutching one of her Atua Rosaries in her hand.

"Did you see what happened?" the bluenette asked. Haruna and Reukra nodded in agreement.

"We saw the iceberg floating by from the Palm Court. We were about to retire for the night when we did. It was enormous!" Angie said.

"People were saying that it made contact on the starboard bow, is that true?" her sister Bethany asked.

"It is… but we shouldn't worry. Titanic is a strong ship, she'll be fine… it probably won't be long until we're underway. We'll make it to New York on time, even with this small delay." the Supreme Hostess said.

"Even so… we should host a meeting with the others. In case something does happen… call it a hunch, but there's something that I can't shake." Ethan said firmly. Despite everyone still distrusting him, he still has information. "Jibo kept alluding to something happening, he never made mention as to what it was, but I believe this is it."

"If that's the case, then we really do need to meet up with everyone," Maria mumbled.

"Guys!" Dalila cried as she raced onto the B-Deck Landing. She panted a bit, a scared look on her face. "Please tell me you've seen Seisha! I've searched all over B-Deck and I can't find him. I haven't seen Diego in an hour either."

"You lost the kid?" Ren cried out, in a stern voice. "We haven't seen him, he couldn't have gotten far!"

"This ship is like a maze, he could be anywhere. We're gonna have to split up… let's call the others together. I'll help Dalila try and find Seisha. Everything will be fine, I'm sure of it!" Miyaki said. Despite her words, she was unsure of everything herself. She believed that Titanic would make it out alright. Oh, how wrong she would turn out to be...

* * *

**Location: Chart Room (Bridge)**

**Time: 11:50 PM**

**Date: April 14th, 1912**

"This is most unfortunate, Captain." J. Bruce Ismay spat, as he followed Thomas Andrews and Edward J. Smith. The other officers followed along, all of them being on high alert after what happened. Thomas brushed the maps off of the table, unfurling one of his blueprints, pinning it down with a weight

"Water, fourteen feet above the keel, in ten minutes. In the forepeak, in all three holds, and in boiler room six." the man said, looking at the captain.

"That's right sir."

"When can we get underway dammit?!" Ismay exclaimed, causing Thomas to glare at him.

"That's five compartments!" he paused, taking a breath as he glanced back at the prints. "She can stay afloat, with the first four compartments breached but not five. Not five."

The captain's face became as white as a sheet as the man continued. "As she goes down by the head, the water will spill over the tops of the bulkheads. At E-Deck, from one to the next, back and back. There's no stopping it."

"The pumps… if we open doors we can-"

"The pumps will buy time, but minutes only." the man said, sighing. He looked at the blueprints once more, closing his eyes. "From this moment, no matter what we do… Titanic will founder."

Ismay's jaw dropped slightly, eyes widening. "But this ship can't sink!"

"She's made of iron sir. I assure you, she can… and she will." he said, cutting the chairman of the White Star Line off. "It is a mathematical certainty."

Everyone remained silent, unable to say a word. Murdoch swallowed the lump in his throat, unable to find the words to speak. Captain Smith remained calm, pouring over the blueprints for a few moments. "How much time?"

"An hour… two at most."

"And how many aboard, Mr. Murdoch?"

"2,200 souls on board, sir." the man replied. Captain Smith nodded, glancing over his shoulder at Ismay, who had a steeled look on his face.

"I believe you will get your headlines, Mr. Ismay."

* * *

**Location: Hora Island (Jibo's Mansion)**

**Time: 12:25 PM **

**Date: August 12th, 2020**

"Doctor, the deceased bodies have been unplugged from the machines. What would you like us to do with them?" Syd asked, causing Jibo to turn around. All around him, lay various pods, all of them housing the remaining participants in his little experiments.

"Leave them in their pods. We wouldn't want their bodies to start decomposing before we can use them,"

"Sir… do you plan on reviving these people?" Saino asked, looking up from her clipboard. "I honestly find it a waste of time and resources. Unless you are using them as test subjects for the second version of the serum."

"Saino my dear, I know you are excited to try that new serum you've been working on. The medical tests you've been running on Mariana have given you the drive you need remake the serum. However, I want to use those bodies for something else." the man said, looking at the pods that had shut off. "Someone among them has a pertinent for self-loathing. I wish to see what happens when that person is… broken… if you will."

"You wanna break the kid's mind?" the surgeon asked. "Haven't you done that before though?"

"In the past, I took a subject's mind and split them into personalities. Let's just say I am taking cues from Junko Enoshima this time around. I assure you, it will be grand." the man said happily. He coughed loudly, his body shuddering from the sudden spell. "Hah… this damn sickness is kicking my ass."

"Doctor, perhaps you should rest. Me and Syd can handle things here. The program is going to continue its course as programmed. It will give us time to acquaint ourselves."

"My apologies Saino, but I wish to be present for this. In order for the next leg of their journey to be ready, I must witness the events about to unfold. They've been in this program for several days, they have breached the threshold. Their delusions are not reality, and it shall affect them for the weeks to come," the man said, a smirk on his face.

"Kinsei has ensured the city is prepared for their arrival. I believe he alluded to something as well, but I can't be too sure about him." the woman said, closing her eyes. "Yes Aurora, I'm certain things will run smoothly. It won't be long now,"

"Kinsei is acting of his own accord again? Ain't that a surprise." Syd said, holding back a laugh. "The last time he did, the subjects we had ended up being turned into fuel for his alchemy. I can only imagine what he's planning this time."

"The boy is crazy, but he gets work done. I assure you, things will run smoothly with him at the helm. Speaking of, I should keep an eye on someone else. I'm certain things will get interesting rather shortly. I'll have Sebastian prepare some tea for us."

"_**Hey, Chief! I got a question for ya!" **_Surrashakuma greeted, as she entered the room. She had been pulled from the game moments after the class trial. "_**What do you have planned for that city? I know you are gonna control their direction and make them head there but-"**_

"Never you fret, I will let you know when the time is right. Saino shall be in charge of this next motive. I believe she is more adept than anyone here to handle it."

"As you wish sir, I'll be sure to do everything to your specifications," Saino said with a bow. Syd gave her a glare, but said nothing. He shifted his gaze back toward the screens, seeing the various points of view from the ones within the pods.

"Heh… I see someone still has their ticket. Are you going to keep your promise and bring them back?"

"Of course. What I do may not be seen as morally correct, however, I am a man of my word. I shall hold to my end of the bargain. We have the DNA samples salvaged from our experiments on the Space Station and the Lunar Colony. I'm sure we'll be needing them soon,"

"_**If ya say so! Maybe you'll give me one of those bodies? You promised after all."**_

"We'll see, you haven't earned your stripes yet," Jibo said, retaking his seat. Surrashakuma grit her teeth, her grip tightening around her cane. "You'll do fine… in fact, continue what you are doing in this killing game, and I'll give you what you desire at the end of the game."

"_**So you say," **_she said firmly, earning a chuckle from the man. "_**Besides, haven't you stopped to think… who is going to replace Ethan in your little game? You'll need to replace him."**_

"It's alright. We've already planned for that, he's a Shapeshifter, all we have to do is kill Ethan and send the next one in."

"_**Until when? You know eventually, they'll catch on. Ethan slipped up, if it were up to me, I would be done with him." **_she said, shrugging.

"But it isn't up to you is it?" the doctor said, his focus still upon the screens that lay before him. "Nothing is as it seems… I feel for you, I truly do. You weren't meant to die on that rollercoaster, but it was out of my control. If you prove your mettle, then I'll give you the body that you deserve, Mariah."

"_**You say that… but I'm not guaranteed tomorrow. I'm forced to do what you programmed me to do. I stray from the path and I could lose everything." **_Surrashakuma said, tipping her hat back. "_**I honestly wish you would have left me for dead… spare my uncle the pain."**_

"I apologize. But we needed a subject to test this new body out, I had already worked with Jibo previously to place human hearts in other Monokuma Units. You were just an unfortunate victim… at least until we are able to find your relatives. We've captured your cousins and your aunt, if all else fails, we can use them to our advantage. Now run along, we must prepare for the next part of our experiments." Saino said, causing the bear to nod.

"_Heh… so you say… I'll get my revenge one of these days… and I believe I'll be using your precious boy against you. Since you love him so much… I'm going to ruin all of your plans, or my name isn't Surrashakuma!"_

* * *

_** xxx(End of Act 1)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 21**

**Ghost Peeps: 10**

**Hostages: 3**

**2 hours and 35 minutes remain...**

* * *

**A/N: Remember how I said I wasn't going to write another 15k chapter? Well, I lied, apparently. I just couldn't bloody help myself. Though I guess I can excuse it this time. This chapter is the length it is for obvious reasons 8====D**

**Anyway… this is the first of the last 3 Epilogue chapters. I really fucking hope anyway. I've been planning this arc for a while and I've projected it to be the longest. I say this now, knowing Chapter 3 is probably going to be longer than this one. I also said on this Discord I wanted this story to end at Chapter 40, and I know that isn't gonna fucking happen.**

**Anyway, this is long enough as it is. I would first like to give a shoutout to JCW, the main man behind the Mall AU. He has started his own spin-off (Yeah another one) called Heartless New World. This one takes place after A New Hope and before Final Horizon. Be sure to check it out, send him some love and some OCs. He definitely needs your support! Congratulations dude!**

**My second to last Shoutout of the Night goes to Abitat Eco, creator of Dalila Wekesa, the loveliest dryad you have ever met. Recently, she's been having some hard times, due to a few personal issues in her life that I'd rather not discuss. She's a total sweetheart and I just want to cheer her up. She's busting her ass in Medical School and hardly has time to socialize, I'm sure, but she's still here with us and is part of our huge family! So, Abbie, I dedicate this one to you! I hope you have a fantastic day/night whatever it is in England right now, probably midnight but knowing you, you'll read this in the morning anyway lol. Unless you are still up in which case… eh, get some rest girl, you need it.**

**Finally, I would like to shoutout Markass Brownlee and Fortnight Battle Royale. Peace!**


	29. C2 Epilogue 2: A Night to Remember

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Epilogue 2

A Night to Remember

_**xxx**_

**Location: Grand Staircase B-Deck Landing**

**Time: 12:00 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

The Grand Staircase was overflowing with passengers. All of them were in their finest as if they were going to attend a gala. Some women were still dressed in fine silk gowns, while others looked ready to go to a wedding. Most if not all of the passengers present were wearing lifebelts over their coats. They were white in colour and contained thick pieces of cork under the cloth. Despite what was going on, the people seemed calm, cheery. Stewards were walking about, offering people drinks, while some chatted about what was going on. Some were passing around misinformation, saying that the ship was being evacuated and that they would be back before breakfast. Others were wondering what the hubbub was all about, while some were having miniature panic attacks, freaking out about the ship sinking.

Thankfully, Daisuke wasn't among those. After he, Charlotte and Nico had prepared to go to bed, a man knocked roughly on his door, practically bursting into the room. He looked around for a moment, wondering what was going on. Thankfully, he didn't have to go far, as a group of friends had easily spotted them.

"Daisuke, there you are. What the hell were you doing?" Maria cried out, earning an odd look from the man.

"Uh… sleeping? I could ask you the same thing. What's going on here?"

"Something serious has happened Dais," Miyaki said, a frown on her face. "The ship struck an iceberg. From what we managed to hear, the water is coming in fast."

"What?" Charlotte said softly. Nico shuddered, a look of nervousness on her face.

"This ship can't sink, right? It was advertised as "Unsinkable". This ship is a lifeboat of its own, I doubt the iceberg did much." the silver-haired girl said.

"I dunno," Hikaru said, looking around worried. "Haven't you noticed the ship's level has tipped a bit. It's slight, but it looks like we're tipping forward."

"He's right," Diego mumbled, closing his eyes tightly. "Dalila, we need to find Seisha. If this ship is sinking then we have to get out of here, and fast!"

"What happened to Seisha?" the siren asked, a worried look on her face. "Please tell me you didn't lose him?"

"I did," Dalila said, sniffling. "I should have left the Promenade deck door open. I should have been paying more attention. And now because of me, he's somewhere on this ship, lost and probably scared out of his mind!"

"Attention everyone!" a man cried out, causing them to look up. From the A-Deck landing, an officer looked down, locking eyes with various people. "The boats are swung out and ready. The Captain has issued an order for all Women and Children to head to the boat deck to be boarded. I repeat, all women and children please come to the boat deck!"

"This might be part of the program," Daisuke mumbled, narrowing his eyes. He glanced at Diego, who still had a worried look on his face. "Diego, we have to get the girls off of this boat. Can I trust you to make sure they all get out of here?"

"I apologize Daisuke, but I can't do that. I need to find Seisha, it's partially my fault that he's gone. Dalila is agitated enough already, I doubt she'll leave this boat without him." he said, taking Dalila's hand in his own. "It's something I have to do,"

Daisuke nodded, a frown flashing onto his face. Charlotte stepped up next to him, slipping her arm through his own. Nico stood nearby, looking worried, but bearing a look of bravery on her face. Even still, he could tell that she was starting to get scared. He gave Diego a nod, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Godspeed, if you find him be sure to head to the Boat Deck. I'm not sure what might happen, but it's best that we do everything we can to get out."

Miyaki stood nearby, watching the people moving about. Only a few of them were heading up to A-Deck. Few of them took the thing seriously. She was standing next to the banister, watching people moving around, complaining, asking for drinks and sending their stewards back to their cabins to prepare things. Among these men, was one that she recognized. Thomas Andrews. The one who built the Titanic. He had a far off look on his place, a look of longing. He was taking in the scenery around him. Almost as if he had given up.. .as if this would be the last time he would see it. He took a step onto the stairwell, and she reached out to him, taking his arm.

"Mr. Andrews," she said, causing him to whirl around. He gave her a small smile.

"Miss Miyaki, good to see you again." he softly replied. The blonde remained silent, looking straight into his eyes.

"I saw the iceberg, and I can see in your eyes."

His face remained firm. Showing no emotion, around her, those that were nearby had approached the man. He looked at each and every one of them, stepping back down onto the landing. He sighed as if the weight on his shoulders had gotten heavier. "The ship will sink."

"What?" Ethan asked, a look of disbelief on his face.

"You're certain?"

"Yes… in an hour or so." Andrews said, looking around the staircase. "All of this will be at the bottom of the Atlantic. Tell only who you must, I don't want to be responsible for causing a panic. Get to the boat deck immediately, okay?" he asked, earning a nod from Miyaki. She glanced over her shoulder at her friends.

"Guys… we need to gather on the boat deck."

"What about the others? Mallory, Giselly, and Ren are below decks. I haven't seen Rei either and I dunno where Evan is." Hikaru said, a worried look on his face.

"Sayaka mentioned heading to the Turkish Baths before they closed if she's stuck down there then," Angie said, shuddering. She turned to her sister, placing a hand on her cheek. "Bethany, stay here and get everyone out. Get yourself onto a boat and get out of here."

"No, Sis! I just got you back, I'm not leaving you behind!" she cried.

"You can and you will. I'm dead and you aren't, we can't change that. You are the last Oracle of Atua in the world sister, you must continue your task. It was handed to you by Atua himself, a role that I wasn't able to fulfill. Get your friends out of here, I'll worry about my own." she said, with that she took off, heading towards the stairs.

"Daisuke, I'm starting to grow worried," Maria said, causing the man to look at her. "If what Mr. Andrews said is true…"

"It won't be long before a full-blown panic starts. Listen, I'm not gonna ask for a lot, but I have to make sure my friends get out of here. Sayaka is a personal friend of mine, someone that I don't want to disappear forever, so I'm gonna look for her." he said firmly. He pushed Nico and Charlotte forward, much to their surprise. "Get these two and yourself out of here."

"What?" Charlotte cried, shaking her head. She adopted an angry look on her face, grabbing his hand. "Absolutely not!'

"We can't let you go search on your own. If you're staying here, then so am I!"

"No! We don't have room to argue!" the storyteller snapped, much to their surprise. He sighed, forcing a smile onto his face, placing a hand on their cheeks. "I'll be fine okay. You stick with my mom here, get on a boat and get out. I'll follow shortly." he said, taking off before either of them could react.

"Ugh… you know, sometimes I really hate when Dais decides to be the hero," Shiro said, shaking her head. "Come on Kenzie, let's keep an eye on his dumb ass."

"H-huh… okay." the painter said, following after her friend.

* * *

**Location: First Class Promenade Deck (Boat Deck)**

**Time: 12:25 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

Hikaru shivered as he walked out onto the Boat Deck, the funnels were letting out all of the gathered steam, filling the air with an obnoxious ringing. The officers were running around, cranking the falls as fast as they could. A few boats were already swung out and ready, but the looks of apprehension on the passengers told him what he needed to know. No one wanted to leave the safety of the ship, and go into a dinky boat. Ever so slightly, the venting steam receded, throwing everything into silence. One of the officers stepped forward, cupping his hands over his mouth.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please?" he cried, causing the people to move forward a bit. "Alright, good! For the time being, I shall require only women and children into the boats. Bring them forward and keep the rows clear!"

The Event Coordinator glanced around for a moment, wondering if Rei was on the deck. His look of worry was changed with one of relief as the First Class door flew open. The band members that were playing in the Reception Room had come onto the deck, carting their instruments with them. And there she was, Rei Makoto, holding a violin of her own. She was dressed in an oversized jacket, that was rather thick for her. It reached down to her knees, preventing her from walking straight at times. One of the band members set a chair down, allowing the Cello player to sit down.

"Rei!"

"Hmm… oh, hey sweetie!" the girl said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Where have you been? I thought you went back to the room."

"No, I took a walk to calm myself after what had happened. I spoke with Riku as well but he seems to have grown more delusional after the trial," he said, leaning in slightly. "He thinks Ibb died of a heart attack instead of an execution."

"Oh my." the girl said, her warm breath was visible due to the cold. "Have you spoken with the others?"

"Yes… Thomas Andrews said the ship was going to sink. We need to leave Rei… things are going to get dicey and we don't need to die again." he said firmly. Rei looked around for a moment, spotting a lifeboat nearby. She was about to walk over to it, only to stop when an officer pushed a man back.

"Women and children first!" he cried out.

"Alright, no need to push sir," the man said, tugging on his jacket. He turned to the woman, who Rei assumed was his wife. "Just get in the boat sweetheart. I'm certain things are going to be fine,"

"I… I suppose so. Promise me we'll meet in the Palm Court once things are over?" she asked, earning a nod from the man. She gave him a firm kiss on the lips, before walking toward the boat. She was helped into it by an officer, who literally lifted her up by the waist and placed her into it.

"I don't think we'll be able to get on together Hika." the violinist said, turning to face the man. "I'm not leaving without you."

"No… if that's the case then you have to go!" he exclaimed, placing a hand on her cheek. "I love you Rei… even if you lack a physical body, you can make it back to Hora Island," he said. She gave him a pout, glaring at him.

"And I say no! I am not going anywhere without you!"

"Miss Makoto, are you going to join us?" Wallace Hartley, the bandleader asked. Rei looked torn for a moment, only for a moment, before giving him a nod.

"Of course gentlemen. You've been kind as to lend me a spare violin for such an occasion. We need to keep the people calm, as the captain ordered. Now let's begin our first piece… hmm… how about Wedding Dance?"

"You heard her gents," the man said, resting his instrument under his chin. It wasn't long before a lovely tune filled the boat deck. Hikaru frowned, leaning back against the bulkhead behind him, shivering.

"_This isn't how it's supposed to be… we need to get out of here. But…_" he glanced back at the boats, seeing all of the men moving about, none of them being allowed on. '_I don't think this is going to end well for me." _

* * *

**Location: E-Deck**

**Time: 12:30 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

"Lila?" Seisha cried as he looked around in confusion. The boy shuddered a bit as he walked, noticing the lack of people in the corridors. He had left the room for a moment and had gotten swept away. His own curiosity ended up getting him lost, and now he didn't know where he was.

He walked around aimlessly, seeing suitcases and abandoned luggage laying near some closed doors. A few of the gates he passed had been tightly shut, barring entrance into the next areas. Even the stairwell that led up to the D-Deck Berths had been locked. He stopped mid-stride, glancing around for a bit. There were three different paths he could take, and all of them seemed empty. He took a step forward, yelping in surprise when a loud groan filled the corridor. He grabbed onto the railing, fear coursing through him.

"Momma… I want my momma!" he cried out. Tears streaked down his cheeks as he realized his mom wasn't going to rescue him. Even worse, he noticed water started to fill the corridor. With a scream, he started running, hoping to get away from it.

_xxx_

"This isn't working Lila," Diego said, pulling the young woman to a stop. The two had reached the aft Grand Staircase, their worry having hit 100. They had been wondering about, asking stewards if they had seen Seisha, but no one had seen him. Dalila started sobbing, hugging Diego tightly.

"I can't… if Seisha dies here, it's all my fault! If we die, then we'll die in real life too… I don't want to be responsible for that." she said, her voice being muffled. "He reminds me so much of my little brothers… I would never dare leave them behind."

"Ugh… can you stop sobbing like an idiot and think for a moment?" Diego's rough voice said, causing her to back away.

"D-Diego! How could you?"

"Look… I am not Diego." the man said firmly. "I am the Prince of Dim Carcosa… I have briefly taken over this man to tell you one thing." he paused, flipping his hair arrogantly. "You must pull yourself together and stop being a pussy!"

"Gee thanks. How the hell is that supposed to help me find Seisha?"

"Well, it certainly beats standing there and crying. Blame yourself if you want, but crying will not get him back any faster. Think… what is a place that Seisha has been too that he really liked?" the prince asked firmly. Dalila sniffled, closing her eyes.

"The… the Turkish Baths… he really liked it there. He said the massages felt like heaven."

"Then that is most likely where he is. If he's a smart boy, he would go to a place that's familiar and a place that you two have been too. However, if this ship is sinking, then the Turkish Baths are probably underwater right now." Prince said, causing her to gasp.

"Oh no! Seisha can't swim! He'll drown!" she cried. She hiked up her dress, breaking into a sprint down the corridor. She ducked and weaved through the corridors, being followed by the Prince, who was huffing loudly.

"I must… encourage Diego to… do some exercises." he joked, only to be ignored by Dalila. The two arrived at the B-Deck Landing of the Grand Staircase, seeing some people still hanging around. The woman looked around briefly, getting a few odd looks but she said nothing as she walked around, approaching the lifts.

"I'm sorry madam, but the lifts are closed until further notice." the operator said firmly. The woman looked disgusted, holding her nose up.

"I do not care what you are saying! Take me down to C-Deck this instant!" she demanded.

"Jesus Christ lady, it's one flight down, walk down there yourself," Prince said, glaring at the woman. Dalila brushed past her, standing before the operator.

"Excuse me, I need to go down."

"Didn't you hear what I just said? The lifts are closed."

"Please! The little boy I am taking care of his lost below decks… I need to find him!" the young lady pleaded. The man didn't budge, his arm blocking entrance to the lift.

"I'm sorry miss, but the lifts are closed."

Prince steeled his nerves, about to slug the man when Dalila stepped forward, grabbing a hold of his jacket. She growled at him, pushing him back. "I'm through being polite goddamn it! Now take us down!"

Prince smirked as he entered the lift, closing the gate behind him. The operator turned the crank, causing it to start moving. "E-Deck," he said casually.

They remained silent for a few seconds, watching the deck landings slowly pass by them. Dalila drummed her fingers on her hip, not knowing what to say. She saw the sign for C-Deck, sighing with relief. Only two more decks and she'd be able to continue her search. She closed her eyes, only for a moment, at least until she felt a rush of cold liquid at her ankles. Her eyes snapped open as she was pushed back in surprise. Water was flooding the lift, having already reached to her knees.

"We have to go back!" the operator cried.

"No!" Dalila shouted, pushing him back. She threw open the gate, practically jumping out of the lift. Prince followed after her, struggling to move.

"You two are crazy! I'm going back up! I'm going back up!" the operator fearfully cried, spinning the crank. Just like that, the lift started moving upward, spilling the water that it had just collected.

"Well… now what?"

"E-Deck is the last deck the lifts go to… we need to go down to F-Deck, that's where the Turkish Baths are."

"Are you… are you fucking insane? The baths are forward of here, a deck below us. I don't know if you see this but look!" Prince cried, pointing at the ground. "There is water here, already to our knees. If we keep going we're going to-"

"I don't fucking care!" Dalila spat, glaring at the man. "I don't fucking care what you are about to say. I don't care if the world is ending, the unsinkable ship can sink for all I fucking care, but I am not leaving Seisha behind. You can either help me or get out of my goddamn way. Is that clear?"

Prince quirked a brow, crossing his arms as a small smile appeared on his face. "I can see why he likes you. You remind me of my own wife… she was a strong woman, perhaps you are her reincarnation? She did have the loveliest complexion, a nice dark brown like you."

"H-huh? What?" the dryad cried, shaking her head. "I haven't got the time for this," she said throwing her arms up. She started walking forward, dragging her dress with her as she walked.

She paused for a second, glancing up at the sign that said "Crew Passage". Shrugging, she decided to use it as a shortcut to access another area of the ship. She knew there was bound to be a stairwell that led down. She shivered from the cold of the water, but she kept going. She had to find Seisha.

"You know it's weird."

"D-Diego?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder. He blinked a couple of times, giving her a nod.

"Apologies dear… it seems Prince can switch with me at will, which makes things quite… _challenging_. However, it seems that I can at least see what he sees, so I'm not completely lost."

"I see," she murmured softly. "What… what's weird?"

"The fact that this ship is sinking," he replied. "It's almost as if I've seen something like this happen before. But I don't know where and how… I believe our memories are being deleted… not all of them. Just the ones revolving around this particular ship."

"But… I don't have memories of this ship… I remember boarding in Southampton. My father and I emigrated from Africa. We had plans to move to the United States, now that slavery is abolished. I know that things are still rough in America, and racism is still very high. But it's better than living back home."

"Dalila, that's not-"

"_**Diego, you fool. Do not break her delusion… she believes all of this to be real… it's a side effect of this program you and I find ourselves in. The more time we spend here, the more real it becomes." **_Prince said, causing the man to frown.

"_I was afraid of that… that means she thinks all of this is real life… that could be bad."_

"_**No… it is bad. Very bad… it is quite dangerous to shatter someone's delusion, especially once it's solidified into reality. It could have a negative effect on a person, look at what happened to Ibb when she shattered her own delusion."**_

"DALILA!" a voice called out, causing the two of them to stop. Dalila's heart stopped, an expression of fear washing over her face. She ran into the next corridor, throwing aside a chair as she reached a split.

"SEISHA!" she shouted, her voice reverberating through the hall. She started moving aft, where the water was still low. "Seisha!" she called again, hoping the boy would hear her.

"Dalila!"

She turned around, his voice was near! She could feel herself wanting to scream, she was so close yet so far. If only she had her dryad powers, she'd be able to track him with ease. Another call of her name and she was able to pinpoint him. She arrived at a locked gate, the boy being stuck behind it. "Seisha!"

"Dalila! I'm sorry." he cried, tears rolling down his cheeks. He snaked his arms through the gate, hugging the woman tightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run off!"

"Oh it's okay baby, everything is going to be fine!" she said. She pulled away from the hug, grabbing onto the handles, tugging them hard. "It's locked, I can't get them open!"

"I'm sorry to say this but-" Diego stopped, glancing at the keyhole, gulping. "Unless we have a key, we won't be able to get him out."

"Dalila, I want out! Please… the water is so cold and I'm scared!" the boy said, his hands grasping the gate tightly. "Please… let me out!"

"I… I can't! We need the key but…" she stopped, glancing down. The water was already at her thighs, it wouldn't be long before it was at her waist. Chairs and desks were floating past her, into the hallway, as the path back to the E-Deck Landing was becoming blocked. She glanced over her shoulder, noticing a stairwell behind her. "Diego… go up there and see if you can find someone!"

"What… but I can't leave you here?!" he said. She glared at him, pushing him towards the stairs.

"I said go, dammit! I'll stay here with Seisha and keep him calm. Find someone, quick."

He nodded, grasping onto the railing pulling himself onto the steps. He shivered as he moved up the stairs, looking around the upper deck. "Hello, is there anyone up here? Hello?"

He grit his teeth, moving at a breakneck pace. All of the cabins were closed, some of them being locked. There were others that were opened, several personal belongings being left behind. He spotted a spare lift vest on the ground and scooped it into his hands, slinging it over his arm. "This will be good for Seisha," he said softly.

"Excuse me, sir! What are you still doing down here?" a voice called out. Diego sighed with relief, as a steward showed up, just in the nick of time.

"Oh thank god! Listen, my girlfriend is downstairs. There's a boy stuck behind a closed gate and we need a key!"

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here. You should be young enough to get onto the boat," he said, grabbing Diego's arm. "Step lively, we don't have much time."

"No! I don't want to go up! I need to get my friend out… I need your keys!"

"Let's go, there's no need to panic!" the man continued, it was clear the one panicking was himself. Diego pulled his hand free from his grasp, pushing him forward.

"I'm not panicking goddamn it!" he cried out. "Give me your fucking keys, right now!"

The steward looked at him fearfully, dropping the life vests he was carrying. "To hell with you!" he exclaimed as he ran off. Diego grit his teeth, leaning back against the wall, panting a bit. He held onto the railing, looking up as the lights dimmed, going out entirely. It only took a second, before they came back on.

"_Things are getting worse."_

"_**Then perhaps we should hurry. There is an ax before you, use it." **_ Prince said, causing the man to look ahead. His eyes widened, a smirk appearing on his face. He used his elbow to shatter the glass, grabbing the fire ax from within. He started running back, quickly finding the stairs. He noticed the water had risen significantly.

"D-Dalila?" he called out, over the rushing water.

"I'm here! The water is up to my waist now, have you found anyone?" she cried back. The man started to go down the stairs, cringing at the cold water.

"No… the only person I found ran off like a coward. But I managed to get something," he said. He let out a gasp, as he finally walked onto E-Deck. The water had risen up to his chest by now, making it a bit hard to move. "God, this water is so cold my dick just shriveled up. My balls probably went back inside my body too."

"Language!" Dalila scolded, pulling his earlobe. "You are in front of a child! What are we supposed to do with an ax?"

"Mr. Diego, p-p-please get me o-out. This water is c-cold!" the boy chattered, holding onto the gate. Diego nodded, gesturing for him to back away.

"I'll get you out, promise," he said. He swung the ax as hard as he could at the gate, only for it to bounce off. He slipped a bit, almost falling into the water. He swung it again, missing the center entirely.

"This isn't gonna work!"

"I'm trying you know! It's hard to swing an ax when the blooming ship is sinking!" Diego snapped angrily. For a moment, Dalila thought it had been Prince who had replied, but the genuine anger in his voice told her otherwise. He finally swung it downward with all of his strength, wedging it between the gates. "There… something I can work with," he said. With a firm pull, he managed to snap the lock, pulling the gates open with ease.

"Dalila!" Seisha cried, wrapping his arms around the woman. She hugged him tightly, kissing his face repeatedly.

"Oh Seisha, baby! I'm sorry… I should have been paying more attention!" she said between kisses.

"N-no! It's my f-f-fault for l-leaving," he said softly.

"We should get out of here." the Mexican boy said, glancing over his shoulder. "Something tells me the elevator guy isn't going to come back down for us."

"What… but that was the way out?!" the dryad said. Diego shook his head, taking a hold of her hand.

"We're gonna have to find another way, come on."

_xxx_

"Captain, Sir." Bride said, causing Captain Smith to turn around. "The Carpathia answered the signal. Her captain is heading toward us at 17 knots. Full steam for them sir!"

"I see… is she the only one responding?" Smith said, reading the message.

"No, the Mount Temple has also replied, however, she is too far from our coordinates. The Republic has also made full steam toward our location but is still quite a ways away. The Olympic has also volunteered to take our lifeboats."

"No," Smith said, shaking his head. "Should the Olympic approach us, it may cause a disturbance. How far away is the Carpathia?"

"58 miles or so, she said she can be here in four hours."

"Four hours?" Smith exclaimed, eyes widening. He shook his head, looking away from the startled Operator. "Thank you, Bride. Tell them we are on standby, awaiting their arrival."

"Yes, sir."

Captain Smith walked over to the railing, looking down on the good deck. It was already starting to go under. Water was rapidly rushing over it, covering the entire forward part of the Titanic. The capstains were already submerged, and water was beginning to run over the Number 1 hatch. He looked up at the sky, as one of the distress rockets erupted above him, the bright lights raining down over them all. "May God have mercy on us all."

* * *

**Location: C-Deck Landing**

**Time: 12:35 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

"Why am I going to waste my time getting onto a stupid boat?" Mariana exclaimed, glaring at Ashton.

"Because you dummy!" Miya exclaimed, pointing a finger at her. "This ship is going down faster than… than… faster than a Dragon-Type Pokemon getting hit by Ice Beam!"

"That is the worst analogy you could have used, truly," Kanemoto said, quirking a brow as she glanced at her friend. "Listen, Mariana… I know you don't feel confident in those boats. But the thing is, this ship is going down. We don't know how much time we've got left and we can't keep dicking around."

"She's right," Ethan said firmly, earning a glare from the manakete. "Look, I understand that you and I don't look eye to eye right now. But what we are saying is true. The architect himself said that this ship is going down, and gave it an hour." he said, glancing at a nearby clock. "And according to that clock, we've wasted half of it already."

"Mariana please, it's time for us to go," Ashton said, holding his hand out to her. She narrowed his eyes, as she walked up to him. She poked her finger tip into his chest, placing a hand on her hip.

"The answer is no!"

"Why?" the treant exclaimed, grabbing a hold of her arms, pinning them to her body. "Why the fuck do you refuse to leave? Can't you see if we die in this fucking game we'll die in real life? What's the matter with you?"

"I can't leave you behind!" the woman screamed back, causing him to jump at the volume of her voice. She pawed at his shirt, resting her face against his chest, her ear was right over his heart. She closed her eyes, sniffling. "The order was for women and children, men are going to be left for last. There are only 20 lifeboats on this ship. What do you think will happen when those seats are taken?"

"People will start fighting for them of course," a familiar voice said. It was Lars, being followed by Dylan, who had his hands shoved in his pockets. The demonologist had a serious look on his face, as he sipped the wine in his glass. "People don't seem to realize it, but this ship doesn't have much longer to live. The bulkheads don't reach higher than E-Deck, I imagine the compartments below us are filling to the brim as we speak."

"Oh, spare us the details," Ethan said, giving him a once over. "You seemed to be dressed in your best. Prepared to go down like gentlemen?"

"Ha… as if I would remain here with you losers. Nay, I plan to survive this little ordeal. You see… the human mind is very easy to trick. If you get lulled into a false sense of security, you start believing a lot of shit. For example, this ship we are on is but a computer program. But we all allowed it to play tricks on our minds."

"The reason why people die in real life is a cause of our very own delusions!" Dylan said a grin on his face. He had a steak knife in his hand, which he was flipping around with ease. "We let this ship of dreams become the real thing! That's why we can't discern what's real from what's fake. Is that person real? Is that piece of wood real? Does it truly matter?"

"In fact-" Lars said, continuing for the young boy. "This ship has become so real, that our own minds have forgotten what happens to it. We aren't from this time period, you should be able to recall everything about the Infamous Titanic, and yet… we can't. No… I should say you can't."

"Oh, and you can?" the voice of Alice said, as she and Nyx walked toward the group. Nyx had a worried look on her face, her feet and dress were partially wet, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it. "Can you tell us what's going to happen to this ship?"

"Ah… of course I could! But what's the fun in that?" he said, finishing his glass of wine. "Why oh why would I tell you the _fate _of this vessel? Why not let it play out? Whether you make it to a boat and live, or you stay on this ship and die… it doesn't matter in the end. It's all predetermined by fate. A beautiful delusion has encroached our reality and warped our minds. But the real question is… can you survive this delusion, or has it become too real for you to escape it?"

"It's an interesting question isn't it?" Dylan said, giggling. He flashed his tickets, licking his lips. "Of course, I don't intend to stick around for much longer. But I'll stick around for awhile, you know… to watch all of you squirm like rats. When the last of the boats are empty, and people realize just how fucked they truly are… ah… that's the moment that I wish to see the most. Toodaloo!"

"I honestly don't know why you are such a dick." Kanemoto spat, crossing her arms. "But can you at least show some sort of humanity? The ship is sinking and there aren't enough boats, not enough by half. Half the people on the ship are going to die,"

"Not the better half." Lars shrugged, glancing at the far wall. "Besides, why should I concern myself for the lives of NPCs?"

"They aren't NPCs you frick! They are human beings, they live! They breathe, and they're freaking scared!" Miya said.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Besides, why should the lion concern himself with the problems of the sheep? I've got something I need to do. Especially if intend to carry out my plans. For that to happen, that little psychopath needs to be… put down." he said, walking off. Alice walked closer to the group, shaking her head.

"With every single meeting, the urge to punch him in the face festers within me," she said, earning a giggle from Nyx. "Anyway, things aren't looking good. The Vestibule is flooding, people started scattering, and some ended up going to the Dining Saloon. I don't think they're going to return."

"The water was approaching the lifts when we left. One of the officers ordered the gangway door to be opened, but no one knows why. It seems his idea was to load the lifeboats once they were in the water, but with the tilt of the ship and the floating, that won't be possible."

"I hate to say this but-" Ashton sighed, shaking his head. "Look… we need to get out of here, that hasn't changed. But the odds that we'll make it into a boat are slim. Me and Ethan are the only men here… we'll stay behind. But you ladies need to get on a boat right now."

"You must have shit in your ear, you fucking giant! I am not getting into a goddamned boat and that's final. Don't make me bitch slap you!" Mariana said.

"Whatever the case may be, let's hurry before this landing starts flooding. We don't have much time," Miya said, gesturing to the clock. It read 12:40, it had been exactly one hour since the iceberg had struck. They all shared worried glances, knowing the ship didn't have much longer before it sank completely.

* * *

** Location: Aft Grand Staircase **

**Time: 12:40 PM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

"You two are insane, you know that?" Daisuke asked, earning a giggle from Shiro, who followed along with a spring in her step. Her ponytail bounced to and fro as she eagerly kept up with the storyteller.

"Aw thank you, Dais! But after being shoved in a killing game and then on a sinking ship well-" she sighed, shaking her head. "You sort of get used to this insanity."

"I have to agree with Shiro. Charlotte is worried about you, you took off before she could even say anything. I know there's a sense of urgency in all of this but we couldn't leave you behind." Mackenzie said, a slight flush on her face. "Besides, I uh. ..wanted to apologize."

"Whatever for?" the brown-haired man asked.

He stopped walking when he reached the aft staircase, looking around. While not as grand as the forward staircase, it was still just as beautiful. They were on B-Deck, right near the Second Class Smoking Room. He could see people milling about, a few holding drinks in their hands, while others were chatting like old friends. The Painter sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"T-the kiss we shared," she stammered, looking at her feet. "I put you in a bad way with Big sis… I knew she had a crush on you but I acted on impulse. I let my own emotions guide me and I… I made a mistake. So I'm sorry,"

Daisuke rolled his eyes, ruffling her hair. "It's all good sweetie. You apologized already, so there's nothing to be sorry for!"

"No… I wanted to make this one better and more meaningful," she said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a folded piece of paper, holding it out to the man. "I drew this earlier, I know when we leave this game it won't carry over, but I thought you might want it."

His eyes widened in surprise at what he was seeing. There in black and white pencil, was a very accurate drawing of him, Nico and Charlotte engaged in sexual intercourse. The attention to detail was uncanny, down to the finest detail. His cheeks flushed brightly as he looked at it. Charlotte's face was contorted into a look of pure ecstasy, her tongue lolled out of her mouth as he pounded into her. Nico meanwhile sat above her, her fingers buried deep in her neden, face scrounged up as she prepared for her climax. The storyteller did the only sensible thing he could... He balled his fist and lightly tapped Mackenzie's head, making her yelp in surprise.

"Ow! Why would you do that?"

"Because you are a fucking pervert, that's why!" he snapped, shredding the drawing. "How the fuck did you even see that?"

"Duh… I broke in of course!" Shiro said, spinning a ring around her finger. It was filled with various keys, the tag "RMS Titanic" was hanging from the chain. "Thought I would see what all the hubbub was about. Some people were reporting screams, and when I realized what was going on in there…"

"Shiro, has anyone ever told you that you are a fucking asshole?"

"Teehee~ oh you love me, Dais! But man I wasn't expecting you to be hung… you aren't hung like a bull of course. Believe me, I would know a thing or two about that. But still… bedding two girls, you lucky stud!"

"C-can we not? We're supposed to be searching for Sayaka right?" the flushing painter asked. "If that's the case, then we need to go down to the Third Class Dining Saloon. That's a common congregation area."

"Kenzie is right, we need to focus on our actual mission. To find Saya and get all three of you off this ship."

"What about you?" Shiro asked as he started moving towards the stairs. He continued walking down, avoiding the people walking up. He felt Shiro grab his hand pulling him to a complete stop. "Are you gonna stay here? Are you gonna abandon us on a boat while you die?"

"Do you actually think I want that?" The man asked, glaring into her golden eyes. She could see the worry written on his own, the fear and utter despair on his face. "I know that I run the risk of dying on this ship. But I at least want to get my friends out… besides, it would be fitting for me to die, especially after the things I've done."

"And what have you done? You act like it's the end of the world." The Gyaru said, giggling. "What? Did ya kill some people? I'm sure most of us have done that. You kind of have to in this Tragedy."

"I n-never killed anyone." Mackenzie piped up, as she ran her hand along the banister. "I could never do that!"

"That-" he stopped, a sigh escaping his lips. "No that isn't it at all.. let's just say, there is a debt all men pay. I'm afraid I may have to pay it soon,"

The two girls shared a look, unable to respond. They continued walking down the stairs, reaching E-Deck with ease. Once down there, they started walking forward, entering Scotland Road. Hundreds of passengers could be seeing might about. Various people refused to leave their luggage while others couldn't even understand the language, sifting through dictionaries struggling to find the right words.

"This is insane… how are there so many people down here?" Mackenzie asked, her pink eyes shifting all over the place.

"They're probably being prevented from going up to the Boat Deck," Daisuke said, as he brushed past a few people. He walked into another corridor, people were running about, yelling and screaming. "Steerage is considered a low priority, until First and Second Class passengers are off the boat at least."

"That's messed up!" Shiro exclaimed, an angry look on her face. "These are human beings! How can they keep them locked down here like animals?"

"Shiro it doesn't matter… they're just NPCs, right? They don't matter right now, especially when our lives are more important."

"I know but…"

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" A familiar voice out. Daisuke whirled around, spotting Ren among a crowd of people. He held out his hand, giving it a shake.

"Good to see ya, Ren! Where are the others?" He asked. He frowned, as he glanced over his shoulder, the stairwell leading up was overflowing with people, all of them wanting to get out.

"Gis said something about the Marconi Room. She wanted to see if she could stop the sinking from inside. I think Angie was with her," he said, tugging on his shirt. "Evan is with me, he's trying to get that gate open… meanwhile, Saya and Mal are trying to find another way."

"Well we gotta get out of here, this whole place is flooding. The ship is going down by the head and if we don't get to the boats, were all fucked!" Shiro said, putting a sense of urgency on the voice actor's face.

"Open the gates!" A man cried, causing the group to look up. "Let the women through, no men!"

The few seconds the gates were open, several men started pushing through. It wasn't long before the crowd started tugging and opening the gates. The man reached for a revolver, pointing it at the crowd. "Lock the gates!"

"For godsakes man, there are women and children down here! Let us up so we can have a chance!" The voice of Evan cried. He pointed at the man, who glowered at him still holding his revolver. "Daisuke!" He said when he met eyes with the man.

"Yo! If it isn't my favorite mythologist!" The storyteller said jokingly. "We gotta get outta here,"

"It's hopeless that way! We have more luck getting out of the Underworld than we do getting out of here." He spat, shaking his head.

"Maybe we can go back the way we came?" Mackenzie suggested, earning nods from the others.

"That's our play, but we can't leave without-" the man was cut off as he was tackled into a hug.

"Daisuke!"

"Sayaka! Jesus Christ, I'm so glad to see you!" He said, signing in relief.

"Aw, I didn't think you cared so much about little old me. Especially since you got a girl now!" She said, winking. Mallory tugged on her sleeve, a worried look on her face.

"Sayaka, the boats?"

"Right, we just came back from the Gangway entrance aft of here. 4 boats were launched."

"We gotta hurry then before they all leave without us!" The storyteller said, featuring for the others to go ahead of him. He spared a glance at the gathered crowd, silently wishing them good luck. Even if they were NPCs, people shouldn't suffer.

* * *

** Location: First Class Entrance**

**Time: 1:00 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

"Lower Away! Left and Right together!" William Murdoch called out, as Lifeboat 3 was being launched. Men and women stood around, watching the scene unfold around them. Three of the lifeboats had been launched with few people in them. It was as if no one had a sense of urgency. Boat number 5 was still being loaded with people. Maria stood by, pulling the two girls along with her.

"Alright, we're going to get into this boat. Thankfully, the three of us are ladies and they'll let us on easily."

"How can you say that?" Nico cried, causing the woman to look back at her. "There are only 20 boats on this ship. Not enough for half of the passengers. They'll die, and your son is among them! How can you be so nonchalant about this?"

"Nico, maybe you shouldn't," Charlotte said softly, bowing her head. "I get it, you are worried about Dais, I am too. I wasn't expecting for all of this to just… happen. But we have to trust that he'll get out fine. We managed to make it to Hora Village right? We survived a siren attack, I'm sure he can survive the sinking of White Star Line's unsinkable ship."

"I-I-." the girl pulled her hand free from Maria's grasp. "I can't believe you! The both of you! You just go on claiming that he can survive. Look around you, do you think he will?"

Maria snapped her hand forward, slapping the silver-haired girl across the face. She stood stock-still, she was still registering what had happened as Maria glared at her. "You are acting like a child. Daisuke put your lives in my hands, do you think I don't want him here with me? He is 22 years old, he can handle himself. But I am not losing the two people that have finally brought him back to me."

"Everything will be fine," the pinkette said, wrapping an arm around Nico's waist. "Daisuke is a tough bastard. He's survived the tragedy well off, and had to do a lot of things he's probably not proud of. It's a scary thought, but he will be fine."

"Ladies, there are only a few seats left on this boat. If you wish to be saved, then step up!" Officer Murdoch called out, once Boat 3 had successfully hit the water. Maria pulled Nico forward, cutting through the small gathered crowd.

"Here, put this girl in the boat." the woman said. Before Nico could protest, one of the men wrapped a hold of her, swinging her over the bulwark and placing her into the boat.

"Here madam, I'll help you!" a young officer said, holding his hand out to Maria. She gave him a small smile as she stepped onto gunwale, shortly before stepping into the boat. She turned around, looking back at Charlotte.

"Come on, there are only a couple seats left!" she said. Charlotte was about to step forward, a small explosion filling her ears as she looked up. One of the flares had gone off nearby, the fizzling light slowly heading towards the water. She shifted her gaze back onto the boat, where Maria stood, waiting.

"I'm sorry… keep Nico safe."

With that, she took off, heading back towards the First Class Entrance. Maria called out her name, attempting to step back onto the boat deck, only to be pulled back. "Lower away lads!"

"No! My daughter is up there, I gotta get her. Charlotte!"

The pinkette moved towards the first-class entrance, ducking and weaving through the crowd of gathered people. She passed through the opened doors, stepping onto the A-Deck Landing of the Grand Staircase, her eyes scanned the area for a moment, before moving towards the stairs.

"God, what am I doing? Where am I going?" she mumbled, a look of confusion on her face as she made it down to B-Deck. She picked a random corridor and started walking down it. "I saw him heading toward the Aft-Staircase, that means he probably went below decks to find Sayaka."

"Teehee~ look what the cat dragged in!" a voice cheerfully called out, causing the woman to stop. She whirled around, her hair whipping about as she locked eyes with a figure. It was a young woman, with long blonde hair, dressed in a kimono. She furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Me? I'm someone important to Daisuke of course!" she said with a giggle. She stepped forward, reaching into her kimono for something. "I don't exactly appreciate you stepping on my turf bitch."

"Excuse me?" Charlotte cried out, a look of anger on her face. "I don't know who the hell you are, but you better step off bitch."

"Step off? Girl, you don't know who you are messing with!" she said, drawing the knife from her sleeve. "I happen to be his fiancee, Hiyoko Saionji. And you are violating the sanctity of our relationship, so I kinda have to take you out of the picture!"

Charlotte's eyes narrowed slightly, not knowing what was going on. She was sure Hiyoko was dead, Daisuke had told her she had. She let out a scream of surprise as the blonde charged at her, wielding the knife. She moved out of the way, the knife striking the wall behind her. Hiyoko growled angrily, glaring at the pinkette, her eyes glowing a fierce crimson. "Stop moving you bitch!"

"As if I would stand there and let you stab me!" the girl cried, avoiding all of the slashes the former Traditional Dancer threw at her. She grit her teeth, fear washing over her. "_This must be one of those delusions Alice was talking about. If I'm seeing Hiyoko, that means that… Daisuke must have made her real!"_

"Gotcha!" the blonde cried, swiping her knife at Charlotte's face. She gave a cry of agony, clutching her cheek tightly. Streams of pink started flowing through her fingers, staining her dress and running down her arm. "Damn, I missed your neck!"

Charlotte backed away from the blonde decided to put some space between herself and her. She started to run, heading through corridors at random, hoping to lose her. However, the dancer easily kept up, grinning as she ran. "I love it when they run! The pure despair on their faces is delicious!"

"Leave me alone! You stupid bitch, you are only here because Daisuke made you real. But you aren't important to him anymore! He let you go!"

Hiyoko shortened the distance, tackling Charlotte to the ground. She threw a punch at her face, stunning her enough for her to wrap her hands around her neck. "You stupid cunt!" she snapped, as she squeezed. "You know nothing about me, you know nothing about my struggles!"

The siren growled, struggling to breathe. She felt her vision start to darken, but she knew she couldn't give up yet. She somehow managed to pull her fist back, throwing a punch directly at Hiyoko's breast, making her scream in pain. Charlotte gasped, coughing as she regained the air in her lungs. She shakily got up, clutching the walls as she moved. The corridor was spinning, but she had to get away from the woman. She stumbled towards the nearby Smoking Room, slamming the door closed behind her.

"Hah… fuck. Goddamn computer program!" she spat angrily, rubbing her throat. A few gentlemen looked at her, all of them shocked at her sudden appearance. One of the stewards walked up to her, holding a platter in his hands.

"Excuse me madam, but you are not allowed-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" she screamed, causing the man to shy back. "I don't give a fuck if I'm allowed in here or not. This ship is fucking sinking, so instead of standing around telling me where I can and cannot enter, why don't you fuck off and save yourself? You dumb ass!" she continued, grabbing the handkerchief in his breast pocket. She refolded it, pressing it against her still bleeding face.

Moments later, Hiyoko burst into the room, tackling Charlotte to the ground. The two started fighting, throwing punches at each other. Much to the surprise of the men that had remained. She blonde grabbed a handful of the siren's hair, pulling her head back before smashing it into the ground. Though stunned, Charlotte was able to regain her footing, elbowing Hiyoko in the face. She stood up, grabbing the woman by the hair as she had done before, throwing her into one of the mahogany tables.

"Stupid bitch!" she hissed, wiping some blood from her lip. Hiyoko coughed, as she picked herself up from the broken remains of the table. She clutched her side, gritting her teeth in pain.

"You… you aren't right for him! Neither is that stupid guesser! Daisuke is mine, all mine!" she barked, running at the pinkette, who moved out of the way. The traditional dancer failed to stop, tripping over her own feet. She ended up going through one of the stained glass windows, falling onto the promenade deck. Several passengers cried in surprise, avoiding the shards of glass.

"You said that I'm not right for him, but you are wrong," Charlotte said, jumping onto the deck. She grabbed Hiyoko by her hair, forcing her to her knees. "You always mistreated him. You always made his life hell. And in the end, you chose despair while he chose to fight for hope!"

"Tch… how little you know," the woman spat, chuckling. "You don't know Daisuke as well as you claim. There is one thing he hasn't told you, and that's that he's been fighting for despair from moment one."

Charlotte threw her forward, making her slam into the railing. She punched Hiyoko in the center of the face, stunning her for several seconds. "You are just a delusion, you aren't real. He let you go, and it's time for you to return to the place where you belong."

"Heh… it won't be long until you and I share the same fate. Jibo Momota is carrying out various plans on this beautiful island of despair. Will you survive to see them come to fruition? Or will you die like the swine you are? That is to be seen." she said chuckling. With one final push, Charlotte threw the woman overboard, the only sign that she had even been there was the splash of her body hitting the cold waters of the Atlantic.

"Charlotte?"

The woman panted for breath, the adrenaline still coursing through her body. She looked to her left, seeing Alice and Nyx standing nearby. Several people were looking as well, muttering things under their breath. She swept some hair over her shoulder, tightening the bow behind her head.

"That ladies is how you get rid of a nuisance."

"Another delusion?" Nyx mumbled, shaking her head. "I figured after the class trial everything would stop but…"

"If they're still running rampant through the ship, then those with weak minds might fall victim to them. Not just that, but people who suffered heavy losses recently might become victims." the veterinarian said, shaking her head.

"Those that suffered losses," Charlotte mumbled, gasping. "Oh no… Reukra and Haruna, and Riku too!"

"They're both suffering the aftermath of Aikeno's death, and Riku is grieving from Ibb's execution. They might end up succumbing to those delusions!" Alice said, clenching her jaw. "Damn… and I thought things couldn't get worse. Charlotte, can I trust you to get Nyx into a lifeboat? I have something to take care of."

"Absolutely not!" the sickly girl cried. "Alice I don't know what's come over you lately, but this ship is warping and twisting our minds. It's turning this into an absolute nightmare. I am not letting you fight these delusions on your own. So either you come with me and get on a boat or we die together!"

"I don't know what's gotten into you, but that is not what I want for you!" the blonde said firmly. "Raven you are my friend, among the few that I trust, I am not letting you go down with this ship."

"Then let's get on a boat together, while we still have a chance," she said firmly. She turned to Charlotte, frowning. "I take it you'll stay behind?"

"I have to find my man and get him out of here, you two go. And if you see Maria, you don't tell her about what happened here, got it?" she said firmly. The two girls nodded. Charlotte turned around, about to head into the Palm Court.

"Charlotte," Alice called out, causing her to stop. The blonde woman remained still for a moment, before holding her hand out. Charlotte grasped it with her own, giving it a firm shake.

"Good luck."

"Same to you."

The two parted ways, possibly for the last time...

* * *

**Location: Palm Court A-Deck**

**Time: 1:10 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

"Riku come on! You have to stop drinking and focus on what is going on!" Vanessa snapped, trying and failing to get the man to move. He was sitting at one of the decorative chairs in the Palm Court. Several men and women were standing around, being served snacks as they waited for their turn on the boats.

The ship was starting to plunge further into the water. The tilt was becoming more apparent now, and people were starting to grow restless. The lifeboats were launched successfully, but there had been a lull. All of the Aft boats had been swung out, one of them briefly passing the court on its descent to the waters below. Vanessa had been trying to get Riku to move, to possibly save him but the man was unmoving. He sighed, glancing at the pink-haired girl, a look of despair on his face.

"Why do you care about me? I'm a man, aren't I? The order was for all the women and children to head to the boats."

"I know that… but there might be a chance that you can be saved. We are friends Riku, aren't we? After all of the bullshit we've been through these past few days, I would feel bad leaving you behind."

"Tch…" the man snapped, slamming his bottle onto the table. "Don't… you remind me of Ibb." he spat. "Just let me stay here and die if that's my fate!"

"Nessa!" a voice called out.

"Big sis!" the girl cried, hugging the woman tightly. "I thought you had left on a boat, and what the hell happened to your face?"

"Don't worry about it. What the hell are you still doing here? I thought Bethany and Miyuki were with you?" Charlotte said firmly. She sighed, shaking her head. She glanced back at the man, who was slamming down glass after glass of booze.

"I've been trying to get Riku to get out of here. There's a chance that one of the boats is letting men on. We have to save our friends right?"

Charlotte glanced at Riku, narrowing her eyes. "Well? My sister is sacrificing what little time this ship has left trying to save your pathetic ass. Are you just gonna sit there and drink your life away?"

"Why don't you fuck off?" Riku slurred, throwing the bottle he was holding across the room. "Stop giving a fuck about me! The only person that I had left on this planet is gone, why am I going to bother saving myself, when I couldn't save her?"

"Oh cry me a river." the siren said, crossing her arms. "We haven't known each other for more than a few days. I know I sound like a hypocrite considering my own relationship with Daisuke, but that doesn't matter right now. Even if I can't get him out of here, I know he can get himself out safely. He's below decks, saving his friends. While you sit here and drink all the booze on the ship!"

"You can't compare yourself to me." the man slurred, shuddering a bit. "Daisuke is still alive, while Ibb is death… I'm worthless. I should have been the one who died instead of her. She didn't say anything because she was protecting me."

"Protecting you? From what?" Vanessa said, tilting her head. "She's a murderer Riku. I have no sympathy for a person that decides their life and their desire is far more important than the lives of others. She decided to kill her friends, she made that plan beforehand. She could have admitted her guilt and spared us all. That entire trial was a farce."

"Stop it."

"What? Too scared to admit it? That Ibb was a person who fell to her own delusion and ended up committing a sin? That's even worse than what Nico did! Hell, even Miyaki's dad was more of a human. He did what he did because he grew distraught. It was spur of the moment, unlike Ibb!"

Riku growled angrily, and in a flash, he slapped the young woman across the face. Vanessa let out a scream of surprise, her hand flying to her cheek. In an instant, Charlotte grabbed one of the alcohol bottles, shattering it over his head. He fell back in his chair, groaning in pain. "Ah… you cunt!"

"Don't you ever lay a hand on my sister again." she spat, grabbing a hold of Vanessa's hand, pulling her towards the Smoking Room Entrance. "Come on Nessa, let's get the fuck out of here. Let this piece of shit wallow in his self-pity, there's no point in saving his sorry ass," she said. Vanessa spared one glance at Riku, who was sobbing in his seat. She sighed, pushing against the revolving doors, entering the Smoking Room. She wasn't sure if Riku was going to be alright, and at this rate, she didn't really care.

* * *

_**xxx(End of Act 2)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 21**

**Ghost Peeps: 10**

**Hostages: 3**

**1 hour and 20 minutes remain...**

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is CelestialSkyDragon bringing you a new update of Isle of the Damned! The ship is finally sinking and you all get to see it unfold, how fun!**

**A lot of things are going to be happening in the next few chapters. They'll be a lot of scene shifts and the like. So I may not get show off every single character and what they are doing, but I will try my best. Right now, I was aiming for four epilogue chapters, but I might go for 6 depending on the content itself. Man Chapter 2 has dragged out… well, Chapter 3 is going to be a lot longer haha!**

**Shoutout to McLogal who beta read this chapter. Thanks a lot, man, I really appreciate it! Shoutout to everyone.. Because you are all special… you are the ones I write this for haha. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It was quite a challenge to work out all the kinks and get the scenes to flow perfectly. See you all in the next update!**


	30. C2 Epilogue 3: A Night to Remember

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Epilogue 3

A Night to Remember

_**xxx**_

**Location: Scotland Road (E-Deck)**

**Time: 1:20 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

"We aren't gonna get outta here, are we?" Mackenzie asked, a worried look on her face. Shiro was holding her hand tightly, as they walked through the corridors.

"Kenzie, if you keep talking like that, then all of us will definitely drown here. Come on, we gotta stay positive! I'm sure we'll get out of here!"

Daisuke grabbed the knob of a nearby door, twisting it roughly. He grit his teeth when the door didn't budge. He continued walking forward, spotting a nearby gate. He grabbed onto the handles, tugging them roughly. "Everything is fucking locked!" he spat, pulling on the gates with all of his strength.

"That's because Steerage Passengers don't matter. We're all considered lowborn, as opposed to the First and Second Classes." Evan said, crossing his arms. "We'll have better luck going through the Grand Staircase."

"Well the gates back there were locked too, and the forward staircase is underwater. We can't exactly swim upstairs can we?" Sayaka said, sighing. "Things aren't going to end well for us, are they? By the time we make it to the boat deck, all of the lifeboats would have already gone!"

"But… but I don't wanna die here!" Mallory cried, a fearful look on her face. "I want to go back to Hora Island… even if it's just as a ghost!"

"And we will Mal, we will… we just have to stay positive, as Shiro said." the mythologist said.

"Sir! Excuse me, sir, can you open the gate please?" Daisuke called out, spotting a steward down the corridor. The man didn't even respond, continuing up the stairs. "Hijo de la gran puta. Cabron, pendejo!"

"Ooo, he's getting pissed!" the executioner giggled. "Pendejo… I wonder what that means?"

"You don't want to know." the former pop sensation said with a sigh. She placed a hand on Daisuke's shoulder, causing him to jump. "It's obvious we aren't getting out through here. We are just wasting time, let's find another way."

"Oh, believe me, we'll find a way up." the storyteller said, taking a few paces forward. He glanced up at the door, seeing a plaque that read 'Crew Passage'. He smirked, lifting his leg up. He growled, delivering a swift kick to it.

"Ah… now we're getting somewhere!" Shiro said cheerfully. Daisuke moved back, just in time for her to bash the door with her shoulder. The wood cracked loudly, but the door held.

"Allow me, Daisuke would you join me?" Evan said, earning a nod from the man. The two backed away, getting a good distance away from the door.

"On my mark… get set… now!"

The two men grunted as they burst through the door. The corridor was clear, allowing them passage through it. They continued racing toward it, followed by several others who were trying to find a way up. It wasn't long before they reached another closed door. Evan and Daisuke shared a look, racing toward it. With a shout, they burst through it, sending pieces of wood flying in all directions. The two men looked around for a moment, spotting the gate to the right and seeing it was locked.

"Hey… what do you think you are doing?" a steward cried out, looking at the broken door. Daisuke ignored him, grabbing Mackenzie's hand and pulling her along. "You'll have to pay for that you know? That's White Star Line Property!"

"SHUT UP!" Daisuke and Mackenzie shouted, causing the man to stop mid-stride.

"I cannot believe that in all of this bullshit, people are worried about a goddamn door and not human lives. That bastard could have opened that gate and let those people up, but no! By all means, prioritize the fucking doors."

"Evan, they are unaware of what's going on above decks. All they know is that the boats are being loaded with passengers and that they'll be back before breakfast. In a way, I feel glad. They don't know about the sinking, so they can work without panicking."

"Sayaka, you do know that all of these people are going to die right?" Shiro said, frowning. "They're gonna die because these retards don't know how to do fucking shit."

"You can't really blame them though," Mallory said softly, clenching her hands together. "They're just doing what they are told. It's awful that they might die without even getting the chance to try for it."

"That isn't our concern Mallory," Daisuke said with a sigh. "Even though they look like people, they aren't… they're just NPCs."

"Hey look, this one is open!" "Sayaka said, pointing at a nearby gate. "Come on!" she said, taking the lead. The group started running up the corridor, avoiding as many of the passengers as they could. Having arrived at the opposite side of the ship, Daisuke led them into an adjacent stairwell, the landing being crowded with people.

"Open the damn gate!" a man shouted.

"Go back down to the main stairwell, everything will be sorted out there." the steward firmly replied.

"The hell it will!"

"I already told you, everything will be sorted out there!" the man reiterated, just Daisuke reached the gate. He grabbed a hold of it, tugging it.

"Open the gate," he said.

"Go back down the main stairwell, everything will be sorted out there!"

"Open the gate right now!" Daisuke said, a bit firmer than before. The man gave him a glare, standing his ground.

"Go back down the main stairwell like I told you!" he exclaimed angrily. Daisuke glanced over his shoulder, seeing the looks of disdain on his friend's faces. He turned around, pulling the gate roughly.

"Goddamn it! Son of a bitch!"

"Stop that!"

Daisuke looked around, spotting a beach nearby. He walked over it, pushing some of the passengers aside. He grabbed a hold of the bench, pulling it hard. "Evan, Sayaka give me a hand!"

"What are you doing?!" the steward shouted, as the sound of breaking wood filled the air. "You put that down right now!"

"We're getting out of here, let's do this. One… two… three!" the storyteller said, using all of his strength to ram the bench into the fence.

"Stop it!"

"Again!"

The fasteners holding the fence in place snapped, causing the whole thing to start coming down. Daisuke turned around, lifting Mackenzie over the bench, sending her down the corridor. He did the same with Shiro, before walking off himself. "Let's go guys."

"You can't go up there, you can't do this!" the steward said. Sayaka pulled her fist back, slugging him across the face, knocking him out cold. She shook her hand as she walked, earning an impressed look from Evan.

"I had to deal with some pervy fans," she said with a shrug.

"I see… well, you certainly had a mean left hook," he said jokingly.

"I hope he wakes up before this corridor floods," Mallory said, glancing back with worry.

"I really hope Ren was able to make it topside before us. Sending him ahead to find another exit was a bad idea." Daisuke mumbled softly.

"He volunteered to do it, so it isn't your fault. I'm sure he's on deck as we speak!" Shiro said happily.

* * *

**Location: First Class Promenade Deck (Boat Deck)**

**Time: 1:25 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

"This is fucking bullshit!" a man cried, as he was pushed back by Murdoch, who glared at him.

"I told you, women and children, first. Now if you don't want me to throw you overboard, you'll keep this row clear!"

"Well, this has grown quite stale," Dylan mumbled, leaning back against the bulkhead. The people had started getting more forceful, trying and failing to get into the lifeboats. "Things are starting to go downhill, but I'm not that entertained."

"I take it you aren't going to do anything to save yourself?" Lars asked, quirking a brow. Dylan chuckled, but said nothing, flashing a ticket. "Ah, but why would you? When you have a guaranteed way to get out of here."

"Exactly. I was gonna mess with some of the others, but I've grown bored of this." he shrugged, scanning the area. A familiar head of blonde appeared in his line of sight, a small smile appearing on his face. "Well if it isn't Miyaki Hanao! My favorite person in the world!"

The girl stiffened a bit at the sound of his voice, she whirled around to face him, a frightened yet brave look on her face. "What do _you _want?"

"Me? I don't want anything… well… anything other than entertainment that is. Ever since the glass trial ended, things have gotten boring. I want something exciting to happen, maybe you can make that happen!"

"I'm not a form of entertainment for you. What the hell are you even doing here? You have a ticket, why don't you get the hell outta here? Why prolong the inevitable?"

"Because sweetie pie, it's fun!" the boy chuckled. "Look around you, the people are so uptight that they think this ship isn't going to sink. Despite the heavy tilt it has. Right now… things are starting to go bad."

As if on cue, the screams of passengers filled their ears. They moved toward the nearby davits, peeking over the edge of the ship. One of the boats had gotten down to the water, right next to the pumps, which was rapidly filling the boat with water. The passengers were pushing against the hull, trying to get away from the vessel, while some men were cutting the ropes. To make matters worse, another boat was being lowered right over them. The color drained from her face, as she stepped back onto the deck.

"See? Won't be long until all of these fine folks are floating in the water. Maybe you'll get lucky and be among them!"

"If you keep talking like that to her, the one that will be floating face down in the water is going to be you," Eris snapped, as she stepped up behind Miyaki. Miya, Alice, and Nyx walked up next to them, all wearing life belts that they had been given.

"Oh, I'm so scared!" the boy said, bursting into laughter. "As if you could do anything to me, I'm untouchable."

"You see… this is the thing that I hate the most about people." Lars said, pushing himself away from the wall. "You all think you can say whatever you want, and flaunt your arrogance in the face of the weak. You think that because you hold something that puts you above the rest, that you can do whatever you want… and that my friend is why you are a piece of shit,"

"I'm sorry? This is coming from the man who literally gutted a mermaid and shoved a demon into her dead body?" Dylan cried, shoving his hands in his pocket. "Yeah, I know about that. Rei couldn't keep her damn mouth shut about it. Imagine what would happen if _that _were to spread around."

"Do you think I care? Unlike you, I am truly untouchable… Andras will keep me safe, and my plans will continue forward unhindered. I act like a dick and I accept that. But at least I don't flaunt myself arrogantly in front of others."

"Wow…" Eris said, shaking her head. "If that isn't the Pot calling the Kettle black, I don't know what is."

"Dylan and Lars are both butt munchers. Forget them, let's just get into the boat and get out of here. They could die together for all I care." Miya said, walking toward the nearby boat. Officer Lightoller picked her up with ease, placing her into the boat.

"I need more women and children please!" he called out. Alice flashed one last look at the two men, before pulling Nyx along.

"Let's go… we promised Charlie we would get out of here. You too Miyaki, forget these fools." the veterinarian said. Miyaki nodded, following the two girls toward the boat. She paused for a moment, looking over her shoulder.

"This ship is going down, they'll come a point where the forward funnel will fall. I truly do hope it crushes the both of you. That would honestly make my night a helluva lot better," she said. She stepped away from the two, jumping aboard the boat.

"Honestly, I don't understand why you keep acting all tough," Lars said, almost absentmindedly as the boat was lowered away. The two men continued looking at it, watching the passengers become more distressed as the boats kept leaving. "I know it's all an act."

"It isn't though." the psychopath said, shrugging. "When you got nothing left, you've got nothing left to lose. The only thing I have left is my golden ticket, and I'm keeping that close to me. Once I get out of this program, I will get my revenge."

"You know Yukiko will kill you," the demonologist said, crossing his arms. "She did it once, and she will do it again. I watched the Tranquility Killing game, just like most of the others in this shithole. She killed you once, what's stopping her from doing it again?"

"You don't understand Lars. You have never been in my position, you have never been so close to achieving something great and then being killed before you saw it. What if someone kills you before you get to destroy humanity?"

"That will never happen," the man boasted, chuckling. "I am a god among men, not even Satan himself can stop me or my plans. I have more power in my pinkie than he does in his entire body."

"Yet you use his Necronomicon to summon his minions. That's a funny thing isn't it?" the boy asked, earning a glare from the man. "You are sitting on a facet of lies Lars. You act hard, but you are nothing but a scared little boy on the inside. You and I are the same."

Lars remained silent, clenching his jaw as the young boy continued. "I'm not exactly sure what happened in your life, but I'm sure we're not that different. The fact that you call yourself 'Perfect' and can't 'Give in to the sins of the flesh' is proof enough. Someone you admired fell from grace, and you lost hope in them. You blame all of humanity when the only one to blame is yourself."

"Oh? You think so?"

"Of course!" the boy giggled, turning away from him. "It's funny really, that a person of your age is acting like a fool, thinking that he's a god. You strike me an intellectual on the level of FaZe Jev, probably sitting in your room, screaming at twelve-year-olds playing Minecraft. You are an attention whore, the faster you admit it you yourself, the easier it will be to embrace!"

"Hmm…"

"So, the others think you are a nuisance, bug whoop? Once you embrace yourself, you will be able to do so many things in the world." The boy continued, grinning. "Hell, I'll even forgive you for stealing my ticket earlier. You offered to work together before right? Why don't we destroy humanity together? I'll even give you a ticket to get outta here."

Lars remained silent, not knowing what to say. It was silent, a few pregnant moments passed, with people moving about the deck. The ship could be felt sinking more and more into the depths, as the lifeboats were still being boarded. The demonologist's mouth split into a grin, as he broke into laughter.

"Hahahahaha! Your level of arrogance is astounding. Do you truly believe I would help you? If anything I would help Yukiko kill you. If there is someone I hate the most on this planet, it's those that fall under the spell of their own ignorance." He said, brushing past the boy. "I do not need you nor your golden ticket to get off this island. I shall do it under my own power!"

"Tch… then fuck off. I was just joking about the ticket too. As if I would risk my own safety to get you outta here." The boy said, taking is leave. Lars shook his head, deciding to walk in the other direction.

_"The fool, he is definitely going to perish on this night. His arrogance will be his undoing. Now, how do I get out of here?" _He thought, looking around.

"I said women and children first! No men!" The officer shouted.

"No, she's my only daughter. My mother is dead and my wife passed away too!" The man desperately called. "I'm all she has left in the world!"

The officer sighed, giving him a nod. "Get in, but I expect you to help row this boat! Women and children step up, there are only a few seats left!" He cried. Lars smirked, a plan already in mind.

* * *

** Location: Starboard Boat Deck **

**Time: 1:30 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

"Give her to me." Officer Lightoller said, practically taking the little girl from her father's arms. She reached out for him, a frightened look on her face.

"Daddy, get in the boat!"

"It's goodbye for a little while. Only for a little while, they'll be a boat for the daddies. This one is for the mommies and the children. You be a good girl and hold your mommy's hand, alright?"

Haruna swallowed the lump in her throat, as she hugged the jacket tightly around herself. There was a large crowd gathered around her as people started trying to get into the boats. The Titanic's bow was far under the water and was plunging faster and faster below the waves. The ship itself had begun listing to port, causing a panic to finally begin. Everyone kept shouting things about the ship capsizing, and driving the fear of it all into the minds and bodies of the passengers on deck. Things were turning ugly, Haruna could see that.

As a hostess, she was trained to be kind and courteous to all of the people that entered her establishment. She couldn't bare to imagine letting them cause a panic. She was scared too, but even now she was keeping her wits about her. It was cold, and it was frightening, but she knew that if she had a panic attack, that the one that needed her the most would also panic. To her testament, Reukra was doing fantastic. Despite what had happened mere hours before, how their lives had been filled with joy, how his mother was killed, now the class trial ended, the young man never faltered. That was why she couldn't leave him behind, she turned around, pushing him back slightly.

"Reukra, I can't leave. Not without you!"

"No, you have to go," he said firmly. He took a hold of her hand, placing the gentlest of kisses on it. "Things are going to be okay, I heard talk about a boat letting men on. I'll get on it and meet you later."

"I'm not letting you do that! I am not stepping off this ship without you!" the hostess cried, placing a kiss on his lips. She hugged him tightly, tears running down her cheeks. "I've held it together, but only because I've got you with me. The moment I leave… I don't know if I won't have a heart attack. Please Reukra, don't make me do this!"

"Come along miss!" Officer Boxhall said, grabbing Haruna by the waist. She cried out in surprise, as she was placed into the lifeboat. She turned around rapidly, holding her hand out which Reukra grasped. He gave her a smile, only for Boxhall to separate them. "Clear the row please."

"Lower away!" Lightoller cried, causing the boat to jerk roughly. Haruna almost fell and was roughly seated by one of the other women. Her eyes shifted back to Reukra, who was leaning over the edge of the boat, giving her a smile.

"Haruna… you are my rising sun," he said, giving her a small wave.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion for her. The people around her were scared, the two little girls were crying, calling for their father. Haruna could only look around, unable to speak, unable to even breathe. The metallic sound of the falls was the only thing that seemed to ground her in reality. She glanced back up to the boat deck, Reukra was still there, giving her that grin of his. A flare shot into the sky, exploding high above them, illuminating his face. She realized one thing at that moment.

"_There is no way in hell I am leaving him behind!"_

She looked up, seeing the B-Deck Promenade passing by. She rapidly stood up, cutting through the other passengers. Reukra's eyes widened in surprise as he realized what she was doing. "Haruna!"

A crewman grabbed a hold of her arm, trying to stop her but she easily pulled herself free. With a grunt, she launched herself forward, landing roughly on the wooden railing. She felt the air leave her lungs as she raised her leg, jumping back onto the ship. People were shouting and screaming at her, but she didn't care. She broke into a sprint, ducking and weaving through the crowd as she approached the Grand Staircase entrance. At the same time, Reukra was coming down the stairs, tears rolling down his cheeks as he caught her in a hug.

"Haruna! You idiot!" he exclaimed, giving her a kiss on the lips. He grabbed a hold of her face, looking into her eyes. "You're so stupid Haru, why?"

"You're my rising sun too!" she quietly replied, kissing his lips. He smiled, chuckling.

"Hahaha… alright."

"I couldn't go Reu… I couldn't leave you behind." she continued, hugging him tightly. He nodded, burying his face into the crook of her neck.

"It's alright, we'll think of something,"

"Haruna, Reukra!" Dalila cried, catching the two by surprise. Haruna gasped, hugging her friend tightly.

"Lila! What are you still doing here?" she asked, releasing her friend.

"We were searching for Seisha. We managed to get him out of E-Deck, but we got lost." Diego said, answering her question. Ethan was also with them, despite what had happened, Diego had decided to forgive the young man, if only for a little while.

Seisha stood between the two, dressed in some warmer clothes, and wearing a life jacket. Reukra tilted his head, noticing the boy looked different. He looked a lot younger than before. Where at first he looked like a teenager, now he looked about ten. He shrugged it off, giving him a smile.

"Hey, there little man. Don't you worry, we'll get on a boat and get off this ship!"

"I wanted to go to the Turkish Baths again, they were fun!" the little boy said, unaware of what was going on around him. Dalila shook her head.

"We'll go there another time okay? For now, we need to get up on deck and-" she began, only to get cut off by a familiar voice.

"There you are!"

"Tch… Lars? What the hell are you doing here?" Diego asked, glaring at the man, who was standing atop the stairs. "Here I thought you'd swindle your way onto a boat somehow."

"Ah… I'm not like our dear psychopath though. I wasn't lucky enough to find a ticket… or should I say, I never considered the _possibility _of this piece of shit sinking. However, it seems I have already found a new ticket. Hand over the kid," he said.

"You are insane!" Haruna spat, glaring at the man.

"Says you… you whore! You can easily step into a boat, all because you have a twat between your legs. Not just that, what kind of retard jumps back onto a sinking ship?" the man exclaimed, chuckling. "Hand over the kid, I won't ask again." he said, reaching into his coat pocket.

"And _we _aren't going to tell you again. Back the fuck off," Dalila snapped angrily.

"Can't you for one moment in your life just-"

The loudest sound Reukra had ever heard echoed through the Grand Staircase. Everyone seemed to jump in surprise, not having expected what was unfolding. Ethan's body dropped to the ground, lifeless. There was a hole in his forehead, blood and brain matter leaking all over the tile floor. Haruna, who was near the man, had gotten sprayed with his blood. She looked up in time, seeing Lars shifting his aim, aiming directly at Dalila. She grabbed a hold of her hand.

"RUN!"

Bang! Another gunshot rang through the staircase, as a nearby wooden pineapple exploded into pieces. Haruna continued running, pulling her friend along while Diego took Seisha into his arms, holding him tightly.

"Go! I'll guide you down!" Reukra exclaimed, grabbing Diego's arm, pulling him along. Lars made it to the landing, slipping on the broken pineapple. He slammed his fist into the ground, grabbing a hold of his pistol, racing after the group.

Another gunshot filled the air, the bullet whizzing past Haruna's head, striking the far wall. Lars shouted in anger, pushing a man out of the way, leaning over the banister. He shot at Reukra this time, nailing him in the arm. He let out a scream of pain, falling hard down the stairs.

"Ah… my arm!"

"Reukra!" Haruna shouted. Dalila grabbed a hold of the boy, who despite his pain, continued to run. "Are you okay?"

"It's fine, just move!"

By now, E-Deck was flooding. The Reception Room Vestibule, which had been one of their favorite hangouts, had been swamped with water. The lavish chairs were floating, the tables having been knocked over by the rising waves. The lights had been dimmed down here, sparks coming from the various fixtures. One of the gangway doors had been left open, seawater pouring into the room. Another gunshot reminded them of what was currently happening, putting a sense of urgency back in their steps.

"Quick, into the Dining Saloon!" Diego cried, handing Seisha over to Dalila. He pushed Haruna nad Reukra forward, letting himself for last. Lars shot again, the bullet almost striking the Mexican boy in the leg.

"Get back here! You fucking Spick, I'm going to kill you and that Negro!" Lars shouted, taking his final shot at the group. The bullet struck the glass, shattering it on impact. He pointed the gun at them again, realizing he was out of bullets. "FUCK!"

Diego and the others raced across the Dining Saloon, which was completely deserted. All of the tables had been set for breakfast the next day. The china, cups, and silverware were neatly placed on the tables, awaiting a Breakfast service that would never come.

"Reukra, are you okay baby?" Haruna said, pouring over his injury. "Did the bullet come out?"

"It's just a graze babe, nothing I can't handle," he said, using his tie as a bandage. He looked back at the Saloon doors. "Is he coming?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. All I know is that we need to get the hell out of here." the Ultimate Dryad said, walking over to the doors. Seisha was crying into her shoulder, hugging her tightly. "It's okay baby, it's okay. I've got you." she murmured, trying the doors, only to find them locked.

"Great, as if things couldn't get any worse. 'Let's lock all the damn gates and doors!' Great job White Star, great job fucking our asses until we die!" the Supreme Hostess snapped angrily. "I mean really, who the hell just closes all the gates? Don't you know human lives are on the line? Let them all get on the boats! Put men in the fucking boats you fuck! That way people wouldn't fucking have to do this shit!"

"Haruna, take a breath!" Reukra said, grabbing her hand tightly. "It'll be okay," he said, earning a sigh from her.

"Sorry… I've been holding back the entire night," she said softly. The two jumped when one of the nearby carts rolled into the water. The plates started floating off the tables, some of them sinking, others being pinned down by the floating chairs.

"We need to get out of here. Heading back up through the Grand Staircase isn't an option." Diego said. Dalila frowned, looking back at the doors.

"Poor Ethan… I know he was a mole and everything, but he didn't need to die. That bastard Lars… if only I could-"

"Don't worry about it," Reukra said, shaking his head. "He'll get his comeuppance soon enough… let's just go," he said. Diego took a few steps back, breaking into a sprint. With a shout, he broke through the dining room doors, slamming into the mahogany wall. He grunted a bit, shaking off his pain.

"Come on, let's go this way," Diego said, leading them towards a stairwell that led out of the dining area.

* * *

** Location: Boat Deck**

**Time: 1:35 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

"The boats are gone!" Sayaka cried as the group made it out on deck. Daisuke looked around desperately, spotting some boats out on the water. He swallowed the lump in his throat, worry beginning to fill his mind.

"There's some over there! Come on!" Shiro cried, pulling Mackenzie along with her. Ren, Evan, and Mallory stopped for a moment, causing Sayaka to stop as well.

"What's wrong guys, aren't you coming?"

"No… it's just-" Ren paused, looking around at all of the men that had stayed behind. There were hundreds of women as well, all of them waiting for their chance to get onto the lifeboats. "I don't think we have much of a shot."

"Of course you do!" Mallory said, giving them a smile. "We made it up here, come with us!"

"It's alright, you go on Mal, we'll check the Starboard side and see if we can find a boat there. That way we won't overcrowd the ones over here!" Evan said firmly. She sighed, giving him a nod, pecking his cheek.

"Good luck you two."

"Same to you," Ren said happily. Sayaka took a hold of Mallory's hand, following the general direction Daisuke, Mackenzie and Shiro had taken. The two men meanwhile stood in place, looking around for a moment.

"Why did you tell them that?" the mythologist asked curiously. He shrugged, walking towards the Starboard side of the ship.

"Not sure really. They have a much better shot at survival if they go in a group. Besides, I'm sure Daisuke will take care of them, just like we can take care of ourselves." the voice actor said, clapping the man's shoulder. "Believe it!"

"Ugh… I absolutely detest Naruto. Come along then."

Meanwhile, Rei was playing the last notes of her song when someone bumped into her, causing her to drop her violin onto the deck. She glared daggers at the man, but he continued running, not even looking back. She sighed, kneeling down next to the instrument, which wasn't too heavily damaged.

"Fucking idiot." she mumbled.

"Rei… I think it's time." Hikaru said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked at the forward section of the ship, which had long since dropped into the water. Two of the forward lifeboats were still being loaded, while two remained in the aft section. The crewmen were cranking the davits back as fast as they could, preparing to load the boat with people.

"I can't… I don't want to leave my friends behind,"

"It's quite alright, Miss Makoto. I believe your fiance is right… you should go." William, the bandleader said firmly. "You have a better shot at surviving than the rest of us at least!"

"That isn't it at all!" the ravenette cried. Her eyes were starting to water, as she held back her tears. Her rosy cheeks had gone numb from how long she had been in the cold. She could barely feel her face, so much so that it even hurt to smile. "I am not saving myself while the love of my life dies. It's just not in my itinerary."

"Rei."

"Hikaru don't you dare!" she said, driving her index finger into his chest. "Don't you dare tell me to leave you, because I can't! I won't. No matter what, you and I will remain together. We've been together for how long now? Wherever you go, I go. There is no arguing with that!" she picked up her violin, resting it under her chin. "Now stand back and let's continue providing these folks with some fine music. Orpheus."

With that, she continued playing like nothing. Hikaru sighed, taking a few steps away from the band. He was beginning to worry for Rei. It was as if she had lost all senses with reality. She no longer thought this was a game, it was real for her. And that was what he was hoping wouldn't happen. He heard the sounds of people running and turned around, eyes widening in surprise. His lips curved into a smile.

"Ren! Evan!"

"Hikaru!" the voice actor cried, hugging his friend tightly. "What are you doing here man?"

"We would have thought you'd have left by now."

"The Captain issued a strict order. Women and children first, there aren't that many boats letting men on, if at all," he said, frowning. He glanced back at Rei, who was laughing and giggling as she continued playing her violin. "Rei has lost all senses with the game, she thinks this place is real."

"There aren't that many boats left Hikaru. If you want her to survive this shit, then you are going to have to do something. Have you seen Giselly at all?" the boy asked, causing Hikaru to shake his head.

"I haven't, the last time I saw her, she said she was going to the Marconi Operator's Room. I haven't seen her since I don't know if she's alive or dead. I haven't heard from Angie either."

"Shit," Evan mumbled that's just what we needed.

"Maybe they already got off on one of the boats? The Marconi Room is forward of here, that means someone must have seen them and brought them over there!" Ren said cheerfully.

"Yeah, or they're somewhere else on the ship. Whatever the case may be, we can't worry about them. They may be our friends, but it's our lives or theirs. Hikaru, you and Rei can join us… but we aren't staying here any longer."

"Now hold on Evan, we're all friends here!" the voice actor said, brow furrowing. "We can't just leave our friends behind."

"I know that… but I was lucky enough to continue my existence as a spirit, and I wish to keep it that way. If you wish to stay here with them, that's your prerogative. I, however, choose to live." he said, taking his leave. Ren sighed, shaking his head as he looked back at Hikaru. He gave him a smile, gesturing for him to go.

"Go… we'll be fine. I'll think of something."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Get outta here Ren, don't let this dumb order stop you from living. We'll see ya on the other side," Hikaru said, grinning. Ren nodded, flashing him a peace sign before moving forward, blending in with the crowd that had gathered. Hikaru frowned, glancing over his shoulder, meeting eyes with Rei who had finished her piece.

"_We'll get out of here baby girl, I promise."_

_xxx_

"Bloody hell," Giselly mumbled, as she moved through the First Class Lounge. By now, it was filled with few people. Only a few men had stuck around, while everyone else was moving to the deck outside. Angie was trailing behind her, the two having met on C-Deck after searching for each other.

"Just our luck huh? I managed to meet up with my sister just as her boat was being lowered. What are the odds of that?"

"Pretty shit odds if I say so myself. I did see Miyaki make it onto a boat, and that makes me glad. I'm sure the others didn't sit on their laurels and got off too."

"Normally, I would be praising Atua, but right now I don't think I have it in me. After tonight, I'm sure I lost what little faith I had left," she said, giggling. "Funny how all it takes is death and a ship sinking to make you realize you are a fucking loon."

"Oh girl, I thought you were a loon from the moment we met," Giselly said. The two girls darted onto the Promenade Deck, being pushed out of the way by a man who was throwing chairs into the ocean. "Ugh… you fuck." she spat, but the man ignored her comment.

"Forget him, those chairs probably wouldn't even hold someone up in the water." the former Artist said, peering over the ledge. She gulped, seeing the water was a lot closer than before. "Perhaps we should keep moving, there is a boat above us. We can easily get to it."

"Right." the hacker said, passing through another door. The Smoking Room was completely empty, save for a few men who were playing Poker and smoking up a storm. "How the hell these guys can stay in here is beyond me."

"They've got nothing left to lose Gis." the artist said, frowning. "The order was given for women and children, I doubt they would be let on. Even if they're rich and powerful… they'll just be told to wait. It's a poor way of handling a situation, the captain isn't standing firm by his orders."

Giselly shrugged, not knowing how to reply. She continued moving aft, passing through the revolving doors, seeing a few more people in the Palm Court. There were those that were running out on the Promenade, while others were just milling about, not knowing what to do. She looked around for a moment, finding an unconscious Riku laying at one of the tables. She walked over to him, shaking his shoulder.

"Eh?" he mumbled, eyes snapping open. He locked eyes with Gis, gasping a bit. "Hey, it's you! The hacker girl.. .what's up?"

"What's up? What's up? The ship is going down and here you are sleeping? God you men are insufferable!"

"I wasn't… I wasn't sleeping. I think I was knocked out...my fucking head hurts like a bitch." he said, shuddering. He noticed several bottles of whiskey beside him and grabbed a hold of one, twisting it open. "Haha… yes! Time to plaster the mermaids."

"Heavens, do you see yourself? What you are doing is immature. I am aware that your lover commit a heinous act, but you have to step up to the plate. She was the one who decided to kill in the first place! So stop acting like an ass and do something, or at least make an attempt to save yourself!"

"Why? The ship isn't going to sink, I got no idea why…hic…people keep saying that it is."

"Leave him. A person who doesn't wish to be saved cannot be forced, besides the more time we waste here with him, the less time we have to get into that boat." Angie said, walking towards the doors. She paused for a moment, looking back at Riku. "A part of me wants to pity you. You suffered a heavy loss, and it's taking its toll on your soul. And yet… I cannot bring myself to say anything. I cannot fathom how you can waste what may be the final moments of your life drinking, instead of spending them with your friends."

The two women left, deciding to leave the man to wallow in his self-pity. He chuckled darkly as he leaned back in his seat, glancing at the ceiling. "The two of them are wrong… they don't understand at all. Me and Ibb were going to have a happy life. Those idiots don't see… they can't see anything!"

"_And that's why none of them are invited to the wedding!" _a familiar voice said. Riku's eyes shifted to the chair, which had been empty moments ago. He smiled, seeing his fiancee Ibb sitting there. She gave him a smile, taking his hands into her own.

"Ibb, there you are! I was beginning to grow worried, where were you?" he cried out, looking concerned. She leaned back in her seat, sighing.

"I was getting a massage at the Turkish Baths. They're so lavish and beautiful, we should go together in the morning. I'm certain you'll like them. Maybe after we're done getting massages, we'll get back to the rooms and cuddle?"

"Yes but…" the man closed his eyes for a moment. He felt something snap within him… it felt wrong, all of this felt wrong. He opened his eyes and there she was, giving him that smile that made him melt. "Alright."

Even if he sunk deeper into his own delusion, he would be fine with it, as long as he was with the woman he fell in love with.

_xxx_

"Did you hear? Some guy was killed in the Grand Staircase!"

"This place is filled with mad people, we need to get out as fast as we can!"

Daisuke frowned as he watched the two women cutting forward. They were some of the last First Class ladies still on the boats. They felt that because they were rich, they could cut ahead of the line. They had been ordering people around, like servants, even as the ship went down. He didn't pay any mind to them, just because he didn't want to waste his breath. He had moved to the forward Port Boat Deck, where the last of the boats were being filled.

"Sayaka, can I trust you and Mallory to look after Shiro and Mackenzie for me?"

"Of course. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to them… but what about you?" the former pop sensation asked, a worried look on her face.

Mallory gave the man a tight hug. "I'm sorry Daisuke, but I don't think you'll be able to find a boat for yourself."

"I'll uh… think of something," he said, rubbing his neck.

"Yay! My turn!" Shiro cried excitedly, as she stepped forward. One of the women pushed her back, chuckling.

"Look at this haughty little strumpet, thinking she can climb aboard _our _boat. Look at that ugly makeup too, she looks like a clown!"

"Excuse me? Who the hell are you calling a clown? You fuckin hoe, thinking you can stop someone from climbing aboard a boat. Who the fuck died and put your sorry ass in charge?"

"What? How dare you speak to me like that! Officer, do not allow her to enter this boat!" the woman said, glaring at the man.

"If you don't sit down and shut up, I'll throw you out of this boat myself. Let the young lady on," he said firmly.

"Why thank you, sir! I appreciate it!" Shiro said happily, taking a hold of Mackenzie's hand. "She comes with me, and so does Sayaka and Daisuke!"

"I'm afraid the man will have to stay, no order has been given to let the men board the boats." the man said.

"But… he's our friend! We can't leave him behind!"

"It's fine Shiro. I need someone to take care of Mackenzie for me, is that understood? She needs someone big and strong to protect her. Will you be that girl?" he asked.

"Oh cry me a river." the rich woman cried, only to be shushed by the other passengers.

"I'll take care of her Dais! Count on it!" the girl said happily, pulling Mackenzie onboard. Sayaka turned to him, giving him a hug. She placed a kiss on his cheek, smiling.

"Everything will be fine, I'm sure. We'll see you on the other side, alright?"

"Yeah… good luck," he said, stepping back onto the deck. Mallory was the next ont to step onto the boat, an apologetic look on her face. The officer placed a few more ladies in before beginning to lower the boat away. He waited for a few moments, before turning around, heading back towards the First Class Entrance.

"_Things are starting to get rough… I don't know what to do. At least I know Nico and Charlotte are safely off the ship with mom. That's all that matters." _

As if on cue, the door to the Gymnasium opened, and out walked Charlotte, looking rather tired. Trailing behind her was her sister Vanessa, both looking like they had run a marathon. Daisuke's eyes widened in surprise and shock at seeing the woman still on the ship. She glanced up for a moment, gasping in surprise. Her lip quivered as she threw her arms around him.

"Daisuke! I finally found you!"

"What… what are you doing here?" he cried, pushing her back. Charlotte looked hurt at his action. "I told you to stay with mom and Nico, why are you back here? And why is there a cut on your face?"

"There's no time for me to explain about the cut okay? As for the first part, I couldn't leave without you. I'm sorry Daisuke, but I wasn't going to get on a boat and let you die here. If we're going to die, we'll die together!"

"No isn't the time for… you are such an… ugh! I can't even be mad at you!" the man said firmly, running his hand through his hair. "Fuck… the last of the boats are leaving, and they aren't going to let me on. Let's at least get Vanessa out of here, the last thing I want is for your sister to be left behind."

"Hell no! I'm not gonna get off while my sister and my brother-in-law stay behind!"

"No ifs, ands, or buts little missy! We're shoving you in a boat and that's final, you let your big sister worry about herself. Come on, the cutters are still being loaded, we can put you in one of those!" Charlotte said, grabbing a hold of her sister's hand, pulling her along. Daisuke frowned, watching the boat that was carrying Sayaka, Mallory, Mackenzie, and Shiro.

"_This isn't right… why is all of this happening? Why am I feeling worried, this is all just a program isn't it? Jibo wouldn't let us all die." _

"_**You'd be surprised. I'm certain he designed this not just as an experiment, but also to see how many of you would break to the likes of these delusions. You might feel frightened, and you will think it's not real. But believe me, it is… and you best believe you are going to die here." **_Sparkling Justice said, chuckling in his mind. He noticed Charlotte standing nearby, waiting for him to move. He sighed, giving her a nod before continuing forward.

* * *

** Location: Aft Grand Staircase **

**Time: 1:40 PM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

Mariana sighed as she returned to the Grand Staircase. She had decided to head back to her room and put on her Sunday best. Despite the Titanic sinking, she was going to be dressed like royalty. It was weird, especially with her background. She had never thought she would be on the Ship of Dreams, yet here she was. Ashton stood by, leaning back against one of the support columns. The ship had tipped far forward, making it hard to walk straight, it was the equivalent of walking uphill. People were running around now, the loud footsteps of fancy shoes hitting the oak deck let him know how serious the situation was getting. There were few boats left, and now the situation was getting desperate.

The treant smiled as Mariana closed the distance. The red-haired manakete looked absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing a glimmering crimson gown, that reached down to her waist, and split down the middle, revealing her creamy legs. She was wearing a matching pair of heels, giving her a few inches, but not enough to reach his height. Her hair was kept in curls, falling down to the middle of her back. Over her dress, she was wearing a thick black coat, that went quite well with the outfit, if he had to admit. He held his hand out, which she readily took.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, believe me, it was hard getting Kanemoto to leave. I've made my choice, if you can't come with me, then I'll stay here with you," she said. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his head down for a kiss. She moaned softly, as she gave the man every ounce of love in her body.

"We'll be fine," Ashton said, a neutral look on his face. Though his face held no emotion, his eyes definitely did. He was scared, scared that the woman he had fallen in love with was going to die because of him. Mariana didn't deserve him, she deserved someone else. Someone who could actually protect his friends and not let them die. She tilted her head in confusion.

"What's the matter, love? Is something on your mind?"

"No, it's just ..." he sighed, closing his eyes. He hugged her tightly, placing a hand on the top of her head. "I just wish Felicks wasn't gone. I was such an asshole to him, he was a good kid. It's a shame that I never got to know him. Now his little brother is never going to see him again,"

"I know… Ethan got away with his crime, all because Riku decided to vote for himself. Both of them would be dead if that vote had carried out. That idiot, I truly hope he drowns." the red-haired woman said.

"Yeah… it's not good to wish death upon other people, especially now of all times."

"Hey! There's a boat letting men on, it's on the forward port side! If you wanna live now is your chance!" an officer cried out, hurriedly leaving the room. Ashton and Mariana shared a look, a grin on her face.

"Come on you big lug. Let's get outta here!" she said, pulling him along.

"Let's just stay on B-Deck, we can go up the forward stairwell and get out there!"

_xxx(Lifeboat 4)xxx_

"I-I'm s-s-so c-c-cold." a woman said softly. Nico remained silent, not saying anything as she hung onto the oar she was holding. Maria sat next to her, her eyes trained on the Ship of Dreams, which was rapidly sinking.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, causing the guesser to look at her. "I should have stopped Charlotte from getting back on. I should have found a way to get Daisuke on here with us."

"It isn't your fault Maria. Not a lot of people thought this ship was going to sink… I never would have guessed this was gonna happen." she said softly. She sniffled as she looked at her lap, seeing the crumpled up ticket. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"Just follow your heart, it will never steer you wrong," the woman said, wrapping an arm around her.

"Hey, start rowing! If we're close to the ship when she goes under we'll get sucked in!" the officer in command of their boat cried. Just like that, the two women resumed rowing, their eyes never leaving the sinking ship.

_xxx(Lifeboat 13)xxx_

"Sayaka, do you think Daisuke and Charlotte are going to be okay?" Shiro asked, a worried look on her face. "I still feel bad for leaving them behind."

"I dunno, there are a couple of boats left. I trust that he can get himself out of this one." the former idol said, her eyes firmly trained on the vessel.

"I'm scared," Mackenzie said, sniffling quietly. "I don't want my friends do die,"

"We should have stayed on the ship. We should have made sure he got off… I don't think I can live with myself if he died. Charlotte too… I know we haven't talked much, and I know that we only just met but-" the executioner paused, closing her eyes. "I consider them my best friends, and the thought of them dying… I can't imagine it."

"They're survivors… they'll be fine, you gotta believe in them okay?" the blue-haired girl said, giving the two a smile. Shiro nodded, shivering as she looked back at the ship, which had dropped deeper into the water. By now, the stern was slowly beginning to rise out of the water. The last of the boats had been lowered, the falls hanging uselessly off the side of the ship.

"Dear me... I couldn't have ever imagined something like this. Those poor people... I do hope they find peace whereever it is they'll go." Mallory said softly, bowing her head in prayer. A few of the others joined suit, soon soft mutters filled the boat.

People could be seen, using the ropes to lower themselves into the water. Chairs and life rings were being thrown out. A wide array of luggage was also being thrown out, being used as floatation devices. The people were beginning to see how hopeless the situation was getting, and now that the final boats had been lowered away. There was no hope for them to get off safely.

"S-Sayaka?" the painter spoke, grabbing her attention. She looked down, spotting something glimmering in her grasp. "I found this under the boards here… I think you should have it," she said, handing her the ticket.

The blue-haired girl eyed it, her jaw-dropping as she read it. "_RMS Titanic, First Class Ticket… A Golden Ticket… hidden in a lifeboat. Makoto… did your luck rub off on me? Or am I just deluding myself?" _

_xxx_

"Goddamn mother fuckers," Lars mumbled to himself as he climbed up the Grand Staircase. He cut across the A-Deck Landing, struggling to stand straight as he headed towards the door. He threw it open, only for someone to barrel into him, knocking him to the ground.

The demonologist growled as he forced himself to his feet. He looked around for a moment, spotting a large gathering of people. It seemed as if the final boat was being prepared to launch. A look of desperation flashed across his face for a brief moment. He knew that without a kid, he wasn't going to get onto that lifeboat. He cut through the crowd, making it to the front.

"Get back!" Murdoch shouted, aiming his gun at the crowd.

"You bastard! There are people here who want to have a chance to live, you limey bastard!" Evan shouted angrily.

"Anyone who tries to get past me will get shot, get back!" the officer shouted angrily. Ren growled, taking a daring step forward.

"There are men, women, and children here. Let us go, man, this is the last boat… please, just give us a chance to go!"

"Don't bother," Lars said, grabbing the attention of the two men. He crossed his arms, frowning. His gaze shifted back to the officer, who had trained his gun to him. "He isn't going to let you through, it doesn't matter if you are a man, woman or a child. He's been given strict orders after all."

"It's funny that you of all people say that Lars!" the voice of Dylan said, as he looked down at them from the top of the wheelhouse. He was standing next to the Forward Funnel, grinning. Murdoch turned his gun toward him.

"Get down from there this instant or I'll shoot!"

"Cool your jets man, I'm not going to do anything. I just want the best seat in the house, besides I'm 14 years of age. I qualify for this boat and you can't stop me from getting on." he said, flashing the golden ticket to the officer. He nodded, gesturing for the boat.

"Go on, anyone else tries to get past me and I'll shoot!" he said, aiming back at the crowd.

"No… I'm not gonna die here! I'm not gonna die here!" he cried, jumping into the air, grabbing one of the cables holding the Funnel up. "Get out of my fuckin way!"

Murdoch shifted his aim, shooting the man right in the chest, sending him tumbling onto the deck. Another man tried his luck, hoping to get into the boat, but ended up slipping, pushing Evan forward. The officer pulled the trigger, striking him in the center of the chest, causing Ren to scream.

"Evan! No!" he cried, kneeling down before his confused friend. Evan was gasping for breath, pink streams of blood dripping from his mouth. Ren looked up at Murdoch, pure hatred in his eyes. "You bastard!"

Everyone was deathly silent, no one wanting to say anything. The man looked down in shame, seeing the blood coming from Evan's wound, as Ren desperately asked for help, knowing he wasn't going to get it. William Murdoch had gone against what he was doing, he had killed someone who had wanted to live. He looked up at his fellow officers, holding his hand up to his forehead in salute. His colleague looked at him, eyes widening as he placed his revolver at his temple.

"No, Will!"

The gunshot echoed through the air as his body dropped to the water below. Officer Moody's jaw dropped, but he returned to his post, glaring at the crowd. "Stand back damn you! Don't you dare get closer to this fucking boat!"

Lars smirked, cutting back through the crowd, looking around for something. He was going to get onto this boat, even if it killed him. Meanwhile, Ren was cradling Evan's head, the mythologist was staring up at the stars, chuckling as he felt his life leaving him. "Ren… leave me,"

"No, I won't! If you die here then you'll disappear from the real world too. You're my friend, I can't let you die!"

"I've made… peace with it all. Perhaps, I just wasn't meant to return to the real world. What would be the point? Continuing my existence, prolonging the inevitable? I think it's time… for me to make peace with my life. I had a good journey, but it's time for you to go." Evan said, reaching for his life vest. He started undoing it, pulling it over his head. "Take it."

"No!"

"Take it!" the man said roughly, coughing a wad of blood onto the deck. He cringed in pain from his wound. "Get out… there's another boat, on the Port Side… just… live."

With that, the Ultimate Mythologist breathed his last. Ren's eyes became wet with tears as he hugged his friend tightly. He gently set him down on the deck and rose to his feet, putting the life belt over his shirt, rapidly tying it up. He glanced at the forward end of the ship, seeing the water was beginning to pour into it. He had no time, he needed to make it to the Port side of the ship before the bridge was fully underwater.

* * *

** Location: First Class Entrance**

**Time: 2:00 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

**Rei/Hikaru/Ren**

Rei smiled softly as she put the last notes on the song she was playing. She took a breath, glancing at Hikaru for a second, before shifting her gaze at the forward end of the ship. The water was beginning to get closer, as the bow of the ship began its plunge into the depths. He felt a clap on his shoulder from Wallace, who gave her a smile.

"That's the last boat that's hanging from the davits. I think it's time for you to get out of here," he said. She nodded, glancing back at Hikaru, who had a worried look on her face.

"But… I won't be able to bring Hikaru, he's the love of my life."

"It'll be okay Rei… I'll be just fine." the man said, giving her a hug. He placed a tender kiss on her lips, tears rolling down his cheeks. "We'll be fine."

"Hikaru! Rei!" the voice of Ren cried, causing the two to look up. He was standing on the deckhouse next to the forward funnel, wearing a bloodied life belt. He slipped through the railing, jumping down on the deck. "I'm so glad the two of you are here!"

"Ren!" Rei said happily, hugging him tightly. "I would have assumed you'd have found a way out of here."

"I tried… Evan was shot on the other side."

"You mean… one of those gunshots was-" Hikaru paused, closing his eyes. He bowed his head, feeling his heart drop. "Dammit… this fucking game is destroying us all."

"Miss Makoto, if you wish to leave, your time is now," Wallace said, pushing her forward, towards the boat. She swallowed the lump in her throat, still clutching her violin in her hands. She took a few steps forward, heading towards the boat.

"Goodbye Wallace," the cellist said.

"Good luck old chap, stay safe." another of his colleagues said. Wallace said nothing, as he watched his friends go. Ren and Hikaru stood by, not knowing what to say, what to do. The voice actor turned to his friend, giving him a smile.

"It was a pleasure to get to know you, Hikaru… but I'm going to make a try for it."

"That's alright… good luck friend," he said, shaking his hand. Ren took off, racing past Rei as he headed towards the lifeboat, which was being pushed back by the water. It was cut away in time, the oars being placed in the water.

Collapsable B was dropped down from above the Officers Quarters, landing upside down in the water. Lightoller shouted angrily. "Get that boat upright now!"

Ren hit the water, slipping as he grabbed onto the boat. He grit his teeth, screaming in anger as he tried but failed to flip it over. Another man joined him, both struggling to lift the boat, due to the air pocket that was keeping it sucked onto the deck. Rei stopped mid-stride, eyes widening in fear. She wasn't going to be able to get on that boat, even if she wanted too. She took a few steps back, towards the First Class Entrance, looking at Hikaru and Wallace. She brought her violin to her chin and rested the bow on the strings.

She drew the bow back, the notes beginning to fill the air over the roaring waves. It was a hymn that she had learned early on in her career. A hymn that she never would have thought she'd have the privilege of playing. She swallowed the lump in her throat, closing her eyes, as she continued to run her fingers across the strings. Screams filled her ears, but she tuned them out. The ship was beginning to tip forward, the bridge slowly being swallowed by the cold waters of the Atlantic.

On the Starboard Side, Lars had managed to wrestle a kid away from their parent, shooting them in the face. The man laughed to himself as he cut through the crowd, claiming the child was his own. Officer Moody looked him over, allowing him to climb onto the boat, just as the water was slowly beginning to wash over the deck. He climbed aboard, sitting right next to Dylan.

"Tch… now you are resorting to kidnapping? You are a disgrace you know that?"

"Better to kidnap a kid and save their life than to let them die at the hands of an irresponsible parent." the man said firmly. Dylan tilted his head, smirking.

"My… is that… humanity? You are actually showing humanity?" the psychopath said. "I didn't think you had it in you?!"

"The kid is innocent… the arrogance of their parents is what taints them. If humanity can be redeemed, it is through the hearts and minds of children. Now the flawed minds of adults."

"Bullshit… you can't just change your philosophy when it's convenient for you!" he spat angrily. Lars pulled his fist back, punching him squarely in the face. He fell over the boat, landing roughly in the water. Lars handed the little girl to another woman, grabbing one of the oars.

"Lars you mother fucker!" Dylan shouted, trying to reach for the boat. The Demonologist smirked, using the oar to push the boy back, allowing him to be swept away by the oncoming rush of water.

"All's fair in love and war kid, that's a lesson that's best learned on the battlefield."

_xxx_

"Hurry Mariana, we still got time!" Ashton cried, pulling the woman along. The two made it into the B-Deck Landing, forcing himself to a stop. Water was pouring into the landing from the forward end of the ship. The man looked around for a moment, pulling Mariana along, heading towards the stairs.

"Ash there's no point!" she cried, pointing to the rushing water. "This is it, let's just die together!"

"No, I'm getting you out of here!" he snapped angrily, pulling her along. The two of them made it out on deck, looking around briefly, spotting the last boat nearby. Ashton pulled her toward it, ignoring the rush of the water as he tried to put her inside. He lifted his leg, only for someone to pull him back.

"Women and children only!" he shouted. Ashton punched the man hard across the face, only to be tackled by other passengers trying to fight for the boat.

"Ashton!"

"Tch… well if it isn't the dragon bitch." Lars said as he tried to put the oar in the water. "Forget him, I doubt he's going to be able to get out."

"Shut up Lars, shut up!" she cried, reaching her hand out to Ashton, only for her to get pulled back by some women. She screamed, but the man has washed away from her grasp.

"There's no time!" Moody shouted as he looked at the crewmen. "Cut the falls, cut them! Cut them if you have too!"

"I need a knife!" a man cried, tugging at the falls with all of his strength. Lars sighed, reaching into his pocket.

"You gotta do everything your damn self!" he said, flipping the knife open, grabbing a hold of the ropes.

_xxx_

"Reukra, over here!" Haruna cried as she reached one of the gangway doors. It was sealed shut, due to the crewmen scaring people away. Several others were trying to open it but were unable to. The water was beginning to flood the corridor as the stern continued rising out of the water.

"I got it!" Diego shouted, turning the cranks as hard as he could. He grit his teeth, screaming as he turned each one, hearing an audible snap. With a firm kick, the door flew open, slamming into the hull of the ship with a resounding bang. He looked out, seeing the boats out in the distance. "Shit, the boats are gone!"

"Dalila, are we gonna drown?" Seisha asked, his eyes soaked with tears. Dalila shook her head, giving the boy a kiss.

"No sweetie, we aren't going to drown."

"Oi! Down there!" a voice called out. Diego looked down, seeing a boat moving towards the doors. "Jump, Jump if you wanna live!"

"Haruna!" Reukra cried, taking a hold of her hand. She gave him a nod, taking a breath.

The two jumped off the side of the ship, plunging into the cold waters below. Haruna could see the bubbles around her as she sank, the air in her lungs escaping through her mouth. Her entire body was on fire, it felt as if a thousand knives had pierced into her skin. She felt Reukra take a hold of her hand, and she began swimming up, breaching the water shortly after. The two swam a short distance toward the boat, where they were quickly pulled up.

"Cover them up in those blankets!" the man cried, as he brought Seisha out. He pulled Dalila out of the water as well as Diego. "Are there any others up there?"

"N-No! The whole d-d-deck is a-a-awash." Diego stuttered, teeth chattering. The man nodded, turning to the passengers.

"Pull away, if we stay to close the ship will suck us in her draft!"

_xxx_

"Angie?"

"What's up Gis?" the artist said, as she rested her back against the bulkhead. The two had found refuge next to the Palm Court Entrance, taking a break as they continued heading toward the stern of the ship.

"I'm sorry… I caused you to worry about me, and because of me you're going to die again."

"It's fine… I made my peace with everything. I got to hug my sister again, I got to apologize to her for dying. That's enough in my book. I'm sadder at the fact you never got to say goodbye to Miyaki."

"Yeah… weird huh? I never once considered her more than a friend, and now-" the hacker paused, wiping the stray tear away from her cheek. "Dammit… Jibo isn't going to get away with this. Someone is going to stop him… someone needs put an end to him. Shame that it can't be us huh?"

"Mhmm…" the artist said, closing her eyes, as the distant violin music filled her ears. The song had reached a crescendo of sorts and seemed to be cutting through all of the water and the screams of the people. "We only got a few minutes left. Do you want to take your chances in the water or made it to the stern?"

"I dunno… I think I'll keep going to the stern. What will you do?" the girl asked. Angie sighed, looking around for a brief moment, spotting a nearby deck chair. She walked over to it, grabbing it from the ground, glancing over her shoulder.

"I'll… I'll try to make it to one of the boats. They're not that far from us, maybe I can get lucky and get into the one my sister is on."

"I see." the hacker said, glancing back towards the stern, nodding to herself. "I was a pleasure knowing you Angelina… I hope you make it to those boats. If you… will you tell Miyaki that I love her? That she's my best friend in the whole world?"

"I will… good luck Giselly. You are the toughest bitch I've met in my entire life, you know that?" Angie said, giggling through her tears. Giselly did the same, sharing one final hug with the artist. She helped her throw the chair overboard, helping her over the railing. With one final nod, the blonde jumped into the water, sinking into the waves below. She surfaced seconds later thanks to her lifebelt, which allowed her to reach the chair.

"Alright… time to make my last stand… as if I'm getting out of this one alive."

_xxx_

Daisuke pulled Charlotte along, as the two entered the First Class Smoking Room. The lights had been dimmed, the whole room being lit up by the coal-burning fireplace. He brushed past a cart, causing it to start moving down, slamming into the far wall. He noticed several bottles of alcohol on the mantle, an idea working its way onto his face. He also noticed someone else was standing there. The ship's architect, Thomas Andrews. Charlotte sucked in a breath, a look of concern adorning her face.

"Mr. Andrews?"

His head whirled around, eyes widening in shock when he saw the pinkette. He frowned. "Miss Charlotte… what are you doing here?"

"I uh... " she stopped, sighing. "We got lost trying to find my sister… she managed to get on a boat, but there weren't any seats left," she replied. The man nodded, looking down.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I couldn't have built you a strong ship, young Charlotte," he said. Daisuke walked over to the mantle, grabbing the bottles of Whiskey he had placed there. He buttoned up his coat, shoving both in his pockets.

"It's going fast," the man said, turning back to his girlfriend. "We gotta move."

"Wait." Thomas said, grabbing a hold of the lifebelt he had draped over the chair. "Good luck to you, young Charlotte," he said. Charlotte grabbed a hold of it, giving him a hug.

"And to you."

Daisuke grabbed a hold of her hand, pulling her towards the revolving doors. He stopped for a moment, glancing over his shoulder. "Mr. Andrews, this ship is beautiful… I'm sorry that this had to happen. I'll keep each memory that I made here close to my heart, I promise."

"What… what's your favorite place?" the man asked.

"The Grand Staircase… I could walk up and down it all day," he said. Thomas Andrews chuckled, returning to his place by the fireplace.

"It's my favorite place on the ship too… go on, before it's too late."

The man pushed the revolving doors, walking into the Palm Court. He took a look around it, a few tears leaking out of his eyes. He remembered the first time he walked into this place, it had been on a date with Charlotte, even if he hadn't called it a date at first, and Shiro and Mackenzie were with him. A few passengers were still there, crying and holding each other tightly. He glanced to his left, shaking his head in shame.

"Riku?"

"Huh? Oh hey, Dais! What's up?" the boy said happily, a grin on his face. "You wanna have a drink?"

"Forget this asshole, he slapped my sister earlier because we were trying to save him. If he wants to stay here and die, let him." the siren said, pulling him along. Daisuke shook his head, pausing for a brief moment.

"I wanna feel sorry for you, but I won't. Not when you just wanna sit here and wallow in your self-pity. If you wanna die, feel free too." he said, heading out of the Palm Court. Riku shrugged, turning back to Ibb who gave him a smile.

"Forget them, they aren't even invited to our wedding," she said, lifting a wine glass to her lips. The man chuckled, giving him a nod. He was completely wrapped around her finger.

_xxx_

Rei continued playing her song, backing away from the water as she hit the notes perfectly. Her fingers had grown numb from the cold, but she didn't care.

"_Or if on joyful wing, cleaving the sky,_

_Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upwards I fly,_

_Still, all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee,_

_Nearer, My God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!"_

Rei withdrew her bow from the instrument, her eyes opening as the rush of water started heading towards them. Ren had managed to flip the boat over with the others but was struggling to keep it from filling as people desperately clung onto it. The screams of people accompanied by the sounds of water rushing the lower decks once again reigned supreme. She felt Hikaru wrap his arms around her, hugging her tightly from behind. She looked at the band members, giving them a teary-eyed smile.

"Gentlemen, it has been a privilege playing with you tonight."

* * *

_** xxx(End of Act 3)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 20**

**Ghost Peeps: 9**

**Hostages: 3**

**10 Minutes Remain….**

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! Yes, I did just write a chapter in a day, and yes I am tired as tits. But hey, I wanted to get this out to you ASAP! I love this ship, and I've been waiting for too long for the sinking to begin. I know I may not have done this part justice, especially with so many things going on at once. But I did my best I promise! I also apologize for the use of racial slurs in this story, I don't like using them but I felt they were necessary in this instance. They won't be used every single time I feel they fit though.  
**

**The Final Plunge will begin in the next chapter. As of now, the Titanic only has about 10 minutes to live. The most terrifying and the most exciting minutes I suppose. How many of our friends are still onboard I wonder?**

**Major shoutout to McLogal, who was betaing this chapter as I was writing, you are a boss my dude! You got to watch this shit being written live, something not a lot of people have the honor of having haha.**

**And finally, I would like to dedicate this chapter to the lovely Altomi, yes… I know you are reading my stories, and it is an honor. But it has come to my attention as of last night that you haven't watched Titanic. So I do hope when you watch the movie, you truly enjoy it. I am sure I bastardized this movie to hell and back by writing this but eh… who cares. Altomi is also the one who drew the art of Charlotte Loire which I use for this cover story, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Whelp… I'll see ya soon with the last part of this long-winded Chapter! Now that it's almost done, I can breathe easy. Also, pray for me… New Hampshire is about to go into a heatwave.. I might just melt! See ya later!**


	31. C2 Epilogue 4: A Night to Remember

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 2 Epilogue 4

A Night to Remember

_**xxx**_

**Location: First Class Promenade Deck (Boat Deck)**

**Time: 2:10 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

The bridge had finally gone under. Captain Edward J. Smith glanced around the wheelhouse, hyperventilating as he realized his situation. The wheelhouse had turned into its own air pocket. The windows and doors had been firmly shut. At that moment, he thought about a great many things, his family, his illustrious career with White Star, and of course, everything that led up to this point. He closed his eyes, making peace with himself. In that moment, the windows started to crack from the pressure. They shattered, allowing the water to enter the wheelhouse. The man jumped forward, wrapping his arms around the telemotor, holding onto it for dear life. The Captain had gone down with his ship.

_xxx_

Lars grit his teeth as he finished cutting the ropes. The boat buckled as it was finally freed of the falls. He grabbed a hold of the oar, sticking it in the water, attempting to row away. However, the boat was being swamped, not just by water but also by people. Mariana had regretfully stopped calling Ashton's name, knowing he had been swept away by the waves. She held her hand out, pulling a young man into the boat. He was shivering, having been soaked to the bone.

"Stop trying to get in! You'll sink us!" Lars shouted, shoving a man back into the water.

"You fucking asshole! Stop pushing people back," the manakete shouted, tears running down her cheeks. "You should be the one in the water, not them!"

"Oh piss off you bitch! I haven't got the time for this shit! If you haven't noticed, the fucking ship is sinking!"

The woman growled as she wrestled the oar away from another person. He was right, if she continued helping people onto the boat, it would get swamped. There was water already in it, and she couldn't afford to lose her life, not when Ashton had got her into that boat. She swung the oar around, using it to push a few people back. "I'm sorry, better you than me!" she exclaimed.

Dylan grit his teeth as he grabbed onto the nearby railing, pulling himself halfway out of the water. He looked around, seeing hundreds of others trying to get to the nearby overturned boat. Somehow, he had gotten swept towards the Port Side of the Titanic. He pulled himself onto the Wheelhouse roof, sliding around as he moved. "_When I get back onto that boat, I am going to kill Lars!"_

He let out a scream as he slipped, slamming hard onto the ground. The water washed over the deckhouse, carrying him off and onto the boat deck. He tried his hardest to swim, but the current was too strong for him. The windows leading into A-Deck shattered from the pressure, he managed to snag a hold of the window frame, stopping himself from being sucked into the ship. He growled, forcing himself back, swimming away from the windows.

"Please, sir! Let me on, I have a wife! And kids!" a man said, trying to climb onto the lifeboat. Lars grabbed a hold of his arm, pushing him back.

"I said get back!" he shouted, shoving him with the oar. The edge of it struck the deck floor, chipping slightly as he started pushing away. Mariana was doing the same, wrestling her oar from another man's grasp. A gunshot rang through the air, the man she was fighting dropping into the water. The officer behind her gave her a nod, gesturing for her to put the oar in the water.

"Jesus Christ, forgive me for this," the woman muttered, as she pushed the boat forward, trying to take it out into the ocean.

On the other side of the ship, Ren was helping as many people as he could. Having managed to flip the lifeboat over, people had begun crowding it. The officer was holding them back as best as he could, but the look of desperation and panic let him know that it wouldn't be long until the boat was swamped. He grabbed onto the end of the boat, giving an anguished cry as he pushed with all his strength. With the help of a few others, he managed to get it partially off the deck. He jumped up, kneeling on the gunwale, only for a man to push him off.

"There's no more room!"

"Yes, there is!" Ren cried, standing back up. He grabbed onto the boat, trying to get back in. He felt someone grab his hand and looked up, seeing the worried look on Rei's face. She had managed to get herself onto the boat, having rushed it with Hikaru. The two were trying to pull him inside.

"Come on Ren! We aren't leaving you behind!" the Event Planner cried out. Ren jumped up, trying to get in, only to be shoved back by the same man from before. He let out a yelp, as he was sucked away by the waves. Hikaru turned to him, punching him across the face.

"You asshole! That was my best friend!"

"Then why don't you go join him!" the man cried, throwing the boy overboard. Rei let out a scream, reaching for the man, only to be pulled back.

"Hikaru! Hikaru!"

"Rei!"

The sound of rushing water was drowned by a loud snapping. Rei looked up, seeing the cables holding the forward funnel up snapping from the strain. One by one, each cable snapped from the top of the funnel, slamming hard into the deck. One man was decapitated by the wire, his body rapidly sinking into the water. A loud groaning filled the air as the funnel started moving, breaking at the base, smoke shooting in all directions as it couldn't support its own weight.

Dylan mentally shouted, cursing Lars to hell and back for this. He was going to get back at him, and once he had, he would get Yukiko. He had almost made it back to the Starboard side of the ship when a loud groaning filled his ears. The people around him started swimming as fast as they could. He turned around, eyes widening when he saw what was making them panic. He held his hands up, shouting in surprise and horror as the forward funnel crushed him. It struck the water hard, sending a rushing wave outward, pushing both boats away, washing everyone around them with it. Lars smirked, shaking his head as he dropped the oar in the water, rowing away from the Titanic.

"_If Miyaki was here, I'm sure she would be laughing, "_

* * *

**Location: Grand Staircase **

**Time: 2:15 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

Ashton forced himself to stand up, as he was sucked into the Grand Staircase through the broken window. Seawater continued to rush into the room, the screams of people filling the room. He started walking toward the stairs, deciding to head down. If he got down to B-Deck, he could at least try to make it aft before the ship plunged too deep.

He hung onto the banister as he started descending, the water, however, was far too deep, preventing him from moving forward. He sighed, knowing he couldn't move forward. His gaze went down to the B-Deck landing, seeing hundreds of people pouring into the ship from the deck through the windows. The corridors leading to the B-Deck berths were swamped with people racing away from the stairwell as fast as they could.

"Ashton?" a voice called out, causing him to look to his right. He frowned, shaking his head.

"Ren… Hikaru… mighty interesting to run into you two here."

"Same to you. We uh… were washed away from the boats," the voice actor said, clutching onto the banister as water continued to rush past him. He looked around, taking in the sight of the Grand Staircase, seeing its beauty, despite it flooding. "What a beautiful ship."

"You and I have different definitions of beautiful, my dude," Ashton said jokingly. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a flask. He twisted the top off, and took a gulp from it, the whiskey washing down his throat. He held it out to Hikaru, giving him a smile. "The last drink of your life, cherish it."

"The _first and last_ drink of my life," Hikaru replied, chuckling as he took a swig. He handed the flask to Ren, who took his own drink. He wiped his lips away, handing it back to Ashton who finished what was left. The voice actor glanced back at the clock, seeing it become fully submerged, the time being exactly 2:15 AM.

"I'm sad… this was my favorite part of the ship," Ren said. Despite what was going on, he couldn't help but smile. A loud groan filled their ears, all three looking up at the source, only for a rush of incoming water to shoot into the Grand Staircase. The glass shattered from the force of the wave sparks raining down as the chandelier broke apart. The screams of the passengers within were quickly drowned, as the water rapidly filled the staircase. The three men did their best to hold onto the banister but were lost to the waves...

* * *

**Location: Aft-Well Deck (Stern)**

**Time: 2:17 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

Daisuke pulled Charlotte roughly by the hand as they shout out of the Palm Court. Several people slammed into them on their mad dash to the stern. His hold stayed true as he moved toward the railing. He peeked over, seeing just how far the Titanic had gone under. The forward funnel was gone and the last of the boats were rowing away from the ship as fast as humanly possible. People were jumping onto the falls, others diving straight into the water from the Promenade. The loud thumps of people hitting the water made him cringe. It was clear to him that jumping off the ship wasn't an option.

"Charlie, we have to stay on the ship as long as possible, come on!" the man said, tugging her along.

"Wouldn't it be easier to go down the Promenade and wait for the water to reach us?"

"Yeah, if you wanna get sucked into the ship and drown. The Grand Staircase just went under and I don't really wanna see what it looks like _under _the sea," he said, as he led her towards the nearby railing. He climbed onto it, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Here, over the rail."

"Okay," she replied, jumping down with ease. He followed suit, avoiding the multitude of people gathering around the cranes.

The two continued walking up, struggling to get a good foothold to the angle of the ship. They kept walking forward, jumping over another railing, onto one of the large cranes. Daisuke pulled Charlotte down to the end of it, kneeling down. "Alright, you're gonna have to jump."

"What, down there?" she cried, looking at the distance. "I'm in heels!"

"Well okay, we can stay here and die, how does that sound?" he snapped, earning a glare from the siren. She took a breath, jumping onto the deck below. She cried in pain, falling onto her face. Daisuke jumped right after, landing almost perfectly on his feet. He held his hand out, pulling her to her feet.

"You dick."

"Sorry… I used to climb a lot of trees as a kid," he said, as he continued pulling her along.

_xxx_

"What the hell is with all the commotion?" Riku cried as he stumbled out of the Palm Court. He narrowed his eyes a bit, seeing all of the people running past him, dressed in life vests. Some were carrying suitcases, others were lugging deck chairs with them. He was about to take a drink from his flask, only for it to be stolen by someone that raced past him.

"Well that's just rude," he mumbled under his breath. He walked over to the edge of the ship, noticing the boats were out in the ocean, rowing as fast as they could. His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh shit… Charlotte and Nessa, and Giselly… they were right? The ship is really sinking?"

His heart started beating hard in his chest as he let out a panicked scream. He started running forward, ignoring the dip the ship had taken. "Help! Where are the boats! I gotta get to a boat!"

"You damned fool! There are no more boats!" an officer cried, but it fell on deaf ears, as he reached the middle of the Promenade Deck. A loud rumbling filled the air, followed by the audible snapping of cables. One of the windows shattered from the impact of the black cable, which had once supported the second funnel. It came tumbling down onto the forward deck of the Titanic, being washed out into the ocean.

Riku dropped to his knees, having a full-blown panic attack. He clutched his head tightly as he let out a scream. "Ibb! Ibb where are you? Where are you!?" he screamed.

"Tch… look at you, screaming to the heavens instead of saving yourself." a voice called out. Ever so slightly, the man shifted his gaze to his right, spotting a figure he never wanted to see. His breathing grew ragged as he backed away from them.

"No… NO! You aren't here, you aren't real!"

"You are useless son you know that? I'm so glad I didn't birth you… you waste of space."

"SHUT UP!"

"Freak!"

Riku let out an almost feral scream as he shot forward, attempting to swipe the woman across the face. His fingernails raced across the bulkhead, his fingers snapping from the sheer force behind his swing. The water hit his feet, causing him to slip down onto the floor. He slammed his fists against the deck, as he pulled himself back up.

"Useless little weasel. Mooching off of us, a talentless hack claiming your voice is your talent. You are nothing but a waste of life, a freak. And now, you get to die a dogs death… go on and drown, drown like you should have when you were 8 years old." the woman said, bursting into laughter as the man forced himself to his feet. He tried to run up the deck but found himself sliding. He grabbed onto the window frame, wrapping his arms around it.

"I am useless… she's right… I don't deserve to live," he mumbled softly under his breath. He felt someone take his hand, making him jump. There she was, the Runsecrafter, giving him a smile, as she clutched the window frame tightly.

"If we go… we go together,"

"I...okay," Riku said, giving her a firm kiss on the lips. The nearby passengers looked at him, having witnessed the entire exchange, they figured the situation had broken his mind.

_xxx_

"It boggles my mind that people rely on prayer at a time like this," Daisuke mumbled as he continued walking toward the stern. He passed a group of people that had gathered around a priest, giving a prayer. He shook his head, glancing at Charlotte who seemed to be taken by his words. He grabbed her forearm with his free hand, pulling a little rougher. "C'mon, Charlie!"

"Huh… right sorry." she said softly, as she picked up the pace. It didn't take long for them to reach the farthest point of the ship. The stern railing was being crowded by desperate passengers, all of which were awaiting their end. Charlotte grabbed a hold of it, snaking her arms around it, as she glanced over her shoulder. She felt Daisuke wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against him.

"You should have stayed on that boat, silly girl," he said softly. She looked up at him, seeing the steeled gaze on his face. He was looking around, gaze moving between the boats, to the people in the water and debris that could be seen. Several cables could be heard snapping throughout the vessel.

"I couldn't leave you behind, I'm sorry," Charlotte replied sadly. Her frown shifted to a smile, a giggle leaving her lips. "Hey, Dais… remember a couple of days ago when Mackenzie confessed to you? This was the place where she kissed you!"

"Huh… oh right… and you ran off and didn't want to talk to me. Then I spent all day searching for you and you spent it avoiding me. That moment we had on the bow… that was the best moment of my life," he said, grinning. Charlotte let out a small whimper, as she pressed her lips against his. He pulled her closer to him, his hold becoming tighter.

"Well shit… I wasn't expecting to see the two of you here!"

"Giselly?" Daisuke mumbled, earning a nod from the hacker. "I thought you and Angie left together, she went to look for you. Did she not find you?"

"Nah, she did… she decided to try her luck and swim out to the boats. I didn't want to freeze to death, but in hindsight, if I was gonna end up here, I may as well have given it a shot."

"The boats will come back, I'm sure," Charlotte said, trying to give them some hope. Daisuke remained silent, his focus solely on not letting go of the pinkette. The lights flickered a few times but held true as the ship's stern continued to raise. They must have been a good three hundred feet or so out of the water.

His gaze shifted back over the railing, where he could see the ship's humongous propellers. People were climbing over the railing, and jumping into the waters below, probably thinking the height coupled with the cold would kill them instantly. He cringed when he saw a man striking one of the propeller blades, spinning towards the water where he surely met his death.

"_Well… at least I'm not that guy... poor man…" _he thought, as he closed his eyes, placing a kiss on Charlotte's forehead. "Hang on real tight for me, babe."

_xxx_

Miyaki sat silent, as she watched the Ship of Dreams making her final plunge. The twinkling lights of the ship could be seen beneath the waves. What once melted beautifully with the night sky, now looked like a scene out of a horror flick. The screams of passengers reverberated through the area. The vessel groaned loudly, as her hull continued to twist from the pressure that was being exerted on it. The stern was raised high above the water, and people kept jumping off to their deaths.

Nyx was sitting beside her, crying silently into her hands while Alice kept her tight, her eyes never leaving the sinking ship. She grabbed a hold of her blanket, wrapping it tightly around Nyx's trembling form. Kanemoto was nearby, clutching the oar tightly in her grasp. She had gotten lucky and had been placed in the same boat as them, neither noticing each other until well after they had pulled away from the ship. She took a shaky breath, squeezing the oar tightly in her hands.

"God almighty,"

J. Bruce Ismay looked back over his shoulder, seeing the ship that he had ordered to build, slowly sinking into the ocean. Its wails were cutting through the screams of the people. The ship was crying, crying out as its life was being snuffed out. Several explosions rung deep through the hull, the lights dimming slightly, but holding true as the ship continued providing light for its passengers. With one final glance, the Chairman of White Star Line turned away, his back facing the Ship of Dreams.

_xxx_

Below decks, Titanic's Engine room was full of life. The engineers had opted to stay down there, to provide as much power to the ship as possible. The boilers in boiler room 3 had imploded from the water that had hit them, causing the electricity to dim. Even then, they knew they needed to continue giving power to the ship. The hull groaned loudly, giving off feeble cries of pain, as the water continued weighing it down. The Chief Engineer hung onto a steam pipe as he forced himself to climb up. He hung on for dear life, holding his hand out to one of his colleagues.

"Keep all the breakers in!" he cried, as he pulled his friend forward. "We gotta provide as much power as we can to the upper decks!"

"Sir, I don't think we have much longer!" the man cried out, as he reached the breaker box.

"Just do it dammit!" he swore, making the man shoot forward. He held onto the pipe as he reached his hand toward the breakers, pushing them in. The pipe behind him burst from the pressure, sending water straight at the box, just as he reached for it. It sparked, causing him to scream from the electric shock. He shot back, slamming into the pipe as the engines finally gave out.

_xxx_

Riku clenched his jaw as he forced himself to walk up the Promenade Deck. he had been using the windows like a ladder of sorts, getting farther and farther from the water. He stopped the moment the lights went out, screaming in surprise and shock. He heard a loud explosion coming from below decks, causing him to grab onto the railing for dear life. A deep rumbling filled the ship, followed by the sounds of boards breaking. Riku looked down, seeing the boards underneath his feet snapping cleanly in half. The jagged edges stuck out, causing him to jump up, clutching onto the railing.

All of the decks started caving in, as the weight of the ship couldn't be supported by the keel. The superstructure buckled, splitting down the middle, between the 3rd and 4th funnels. The aft Grand Staircase caved in, along with with half of the Palm Court and the Smoking Room, causing people who were trapped inside to fall between the sections of the ship. An almost weightless feeling came over the man, as the stern fell back into the water.

Out on the Stern, Daisuke and Charlotte hung on for dear life as they felt themselves falling backward. The two of them closed their eyes, holding back the urge to scream as the stern slammed hard into the water. The remaining funnels snapped off their supports, falling off the sides of the ship, sinking below the waves. It wasn't long, seconds before the Titanic was slowly being pulled under. Daisuke started panting, realizing what was going to happen.

"We have to move!" he cried, swinging his leg over the rail. Once he was over, he reached his arm over it, grabbing a hold of Charlotte's arm. "Come on!"

"I can't!"

"I got you! Come on, I won't let go, I got you!" the man said, as Charlotte climbed over the railing. The Titanic continued raising until the stern had gone completely straight into the water. It looked almost like a whale, breaching the surface before going back down to the depths.

"What's going on Daisuke?" Charlotte asked, holding tightly onto his arm.

"I dunno, I dunno," he said softly. He peered down, seeing all of the people below him holding onto dear life. It was completely dark, the light glow of the beautiful ship had died the moment it had split in half. Daisuke realized he only had moments before the end.

"Well… this was a bad choice!" Giselly said as she hung onto the railing. Her body had slipped before she could get over it, and she didn't have the strength to climb up. Charlotte reached her hand out, a desperate look on her face.

"Take my hand, quick!"

Giselly nodded, moving her hands across the railing. She swung her arm over, being caught by Charlotte. Her other hand slipped from the rail, causing the siren to buckle a bit. Her eyes widened as she grabbed her arm with her other hand. "Gis," she said softly.

"Fuck me… of all places to die it had to be inside an advanced computer program." she chuckled, as her grip slipped. "Hey… if you don't see Angie, and you make it to the boats… tell Miyaki I love her? Will you let her know she's my best friend?"

"No… you are going to tell her yourself!" Daisuke cried out, holding his hand out. "Take it!"

Giselly attempted to grab it, but Charlotte's grip loosened. The former Ultimate Hacker gave out a scream as she fell from the stern. Charlotte closed her eyes, crying in despair as the woman's body hit the lower capstain with a resounding wham. The metallic thud afterward told them what they needed to know.

"Fuck!" the pinkette cried out, slamming her fist against the railing. Daisuke sat on his knees, reaching into his coat pocket, pulling out the two bottles of whiskey.

"Hey babe, remember when I took these bottles?"

"Huh… oh come on, you wanna have a fucking drink here? Are you serious?" the woman cried, eyes widened in surprise. "If you haven't noticed, the ship is fucking sinking!"

"That water is below freezing. The alcohol will warm you up, enough to swim to the boats, now drink it!" he cried, shoving the bottle into her hands. He twisted the cap off and pressed it to his mouth, chugging its contents.

Charlotte did the same, spitting the liquid out as it hit her tongue. She coughed loudly but knew that she needed to drink it. She tipped her head back, drinking the whiskey. She spared a glance at a nearby man, dressed in all white. She noticed he was also drinking from his flask, which he had emptied out. She pulled the bottle away from her lips, holding it out to him.

"Cheers."

"Aye… thank you lass." the man said, finishing off its contents. Daisuke pulled out another bottle, handing it to Charlotte, only for the ship to jerk forward, causing it to slip from her hands. The ship groaned as it started going under, the pressure building within caused the portholes to explode, sending water shooting from each one.

"This is it!" Daisuke said, grabbing onto the railing as the stern started flooding. Titanic's hull was rapidly sinking, her cries of anguish echoing through the night, drowning out what little screams were left. "Charlotte hang on!"

"Oh, God… what's happening?" she cried out, a look of disbelief on her face. Water exploded from the stern cargo holds, sending passengers flying outward into the sea. A man who was holding onto the flagpole ended up slipping, slamming into the railing below. She felt Daisuke take a hold of her hand, lacing their fingers together.

"The ship is going to suck us down, take a deep breath when I say!" he said firmly, causing her to nod. Her eyes were firmly trained on the water below, which continued to swallow the ship. People were diving into it, while others were wedged between the railing. "Kick for the surface and keep kicking! Do not let go of my hand!"

"A-Alright!"

"We're gonna make it Charlotte! Trust me!"

"I trust you!" the pinkette said, tightening her grip on his hand, as the frothing waves rapidly approached them. Daisuke grit his teeth, releasing his hold on the railing.

"Ready? Ready? Now!"

The two of them inhaled deeply, preparing to plunge into the waves…

Charlotte struggled to swim as the Titanic plunged deeper into the waves. Her aquamarine eyes locked onto the descending ship, seeing the white letters spelling its name for a brief moment before it disappeared from sight. Loud explosions filled her ears, as the ship imploded, the outer decking started ripping off the stern, slowly floating up. Daisuke grabbed a hold of her life vest, shaking her a bit. She remembered what he had told her and started kicking up to the surface.

At least until the suction started tugging her. She clenched her jaw, trying to keep the air in her lungs. Daisuke's hand slipped from her own as he was sucked away by the ship's drag. She moved her hand around, trying to grab him. The suction finally released her, allowing her to float up to the surface. The second she breached the water, she released the breath she was holding, breathing raggedly.

"Daisuke!" she cried out, looking around for a moment. All around, she could see people splashing and screaming from the cold. She didn't feel an ounce of it, she felt dizzy from the alcohol that she had consumed. She started swimming forward, trying to get away from the crowd. "Daisuke!"

She swam past a man who grabbed a hold of her in panic. He started intentionally drowning her, as he tried to use her as a flotation device. She let out a scream of panic, trying to free herself. "Let me go! Daisuke!"

"Hey! Get off of her!" the storyteller shouted, as he punched the man in the face. Charlotte wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly

"Come on Charlie… we gotta… we gotta swim toward the boats."

"B-B-B-But they're s-so f-f-far away."

"We'll be fine… come on." the man said, pulling her along.

_xxx_

"You don't understand," the man at the tiller said, glaring at the passengers in the lifeboat. "If we go back they'll swamp the boats I'm telling ya!"

"Knock it off," Maria hissed, glaring at the man. "Come on ladies, grab an oar. We gotta go back."

"Are you out of your mind?" he shouted. "We're in the middle of the North Atlantic. Now do you people wanna live or do you wanna die?"

Maria remained silent, as she looked around the boat. "I don't understand a one of you. That's your men out there! There's plenty of room for more!"

"And they'll be one less on this boat if you don't shut that hole in your face!" the man barked loudly. Maria clenched her jaw, forcing herself to sit down. Nico stirred awake, her eyes widening when she noticed the Titanic was gone. She let out a gasp, turning back to Maria.

"What… what happened?"

"It's gone, sweetie… they're all gone."

* * *

**Location: The Water**

**Time: 2:35 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

Riku groaned as he turned over onto his back. He felt rather hot, and his head was spinning. He had a cut running down the side of his head, and he didn't remember what had happened. He heard the sound of water around him and looked around, eyes widening when he realized he was floating on a broken door. He slowly sat up, looking around for a few moments.

There were bodies all around him. All of them had frozen stiff, floating all around him. There were broken pieces of wood drifting around from the Titanic, along with barrels, deck chairs and pieces of the deckhouse. He let out a whimper, tears rolling down his cheeks.

He was sitting in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by the dead. All of them were wearing life belts, likely the only reason they were still alive. He noticed the boats off in the distance and started calling out, hoping they would hear him. But his voice was hoarse from screaming and drinking. He couldn't speak above a whisper.

_"Damn it, I'm so useless! That bitch was right!" _He thought, squeezing his eyes shut. _"I can't even save myself."_

He looked around for a few more moments, noticing someone nearby, who was hanging onto a deck chair. His eyes widened a bit, realizing they had a whistle sticking out of their mouth. He licked his lips, wanting to take the plunge.

_"What's the point… why am I going to save myself? I'm just gonna die later on. I may have survived the sinking, but that doesn't matter."_

"Is there anyone out there?" A voice cried out, over the silence. "Can anyone hear me?"

Riku shivered, losing his grip on the door. He spotted a boat rowing towards them. The light was blinding. It was as if he was staring directly at the sun. It was a light of hope, a light that told him he wasn't alone, that there were others. He made a daring leap, jumping into the water. He screamed from the cold, as he swam towards the chair.

_"I'll just take this while and-" _he stopped, gasping when he noticed who it was. The frozen body of Angie Yonaga was sitting in the water. She had frozen to death, clutching onto the chair. The whistle she had in her lips looked rather fancy and had the letters _'RMS Titanic' _etched into it.

_"Oh… Angie, I'm so sorry. You and Gis tried to help me… and I didn't listen. I'm sorry… I am so so sorry!"_

"Is there anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?"

Riku grabbed hold of the whistle between Angie's lips, sticking it in his own mouth. He took a ragged breath, blowing into the whistle. It's shrill cry echoes through the night, causing the officer to look over.

"Come about!" He shouted as the boat was slowly turned around. Riku kept blowing, as the light of hope slowly approached him.

_xxx_

"Daisuke… I'm getting tired." Charlotte said softly, as she stopped swimming.

The two had gotten away from ground zero, approaching the boats. But they weren't getting any closer. The two were drunk, unable to swim straight, and growing tired by the minute. The low rumble of the Titanic breaking apart below the water had dwindled to a few air bubbles rising from the depths below.

"I'm sorry, Charlotte." He said, coughing loudly. He flipped onto his back, looking at the stars. He frowned. "I got you drunk, in order to save you, but I only made things worse."

"It… It isn't your fault. If I had gotten away with your mom, I wouldn't be here. But I couldn't leave, I couldn't. Not with Nessa still on board, not with _you _still on board."

"What's so good about me? This program has twisted our minds, made us see and do shit we wouldn't have. I've fallen for it myself, and you did too." He admitted, causing her to splash water in his face.

"Don't you dare…" she spat, her voice laced with venom. "Don't say that our love was just because of this program. Because it isn't… I genuinely love you. I fought Hiyoko _for you._ I wouldn't be here for any other reason."

The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Even in Death, she still comes back to haunt me. Alice killed Junko… she never finished Hiyoko off." He replied. "I'm sorry Charlie… you shouldn't involve yourself with me. You'll be walking the path to twilight if you do."

"Nah… you gotta stay positive… I'll make sure you walk the road to dawn. If we make it out of here… I can hardly feel my legs… and my arms are falling asleep."

"Keep them moving…. It'll keep the blood flowing. Come on, let's keep swimming." Daisuke said, turning around. He lifted his arm sluggishly, taking a stroke. "Charlie?"

"Hmm?" The girl said, struggling to stay awake. "I don't think I can." She mumbled.

"Charlotte… come on goddammit! Don't you do this to me!" He cried as he wrapped his arms around her. He slapped her face, causing her to open her eyes. She gave him a small smile.

"I love you, Dais."

"No… don't you dare say your goodbyes. You can't die here, you aren't going to die here. We got friends, you got family!"

"I can't feel my body." She said, slightly above a whisper. Daisuke let out a squeak, as he hugged her tightly.

"Please… I've lost so much already. I can't lose you too Charlotte. You can't leave, not after surviving this sinking. Not after I let her go… please," he cried, tears rolling down his cheek, almost freezing from the cold. "I don't think I could let you go."

"You'll be… fine." She whispered, closing her eyes. He shook her again, causing her to wake up. He grit his teeth, swaying his arm as he moved back.

"Stay with me, babe." He said clearing his throat. "S-somebody shine a light, I'm frozen by the fear in me… somebody make me feel alive And shatter me!"

"S-shatter m-me." She said softly, teeth clattering loudly. "H-hey Daisuke… If we have a d-daughter… w-what do you w-wanna name her?"

"What?" He asked, an incredulous look on his face. He shook it off, deciding to answer her anyway. "I wanna name her Persephone Pearl Del Rio."

"Persephone? L-like the w-wife of H-Hades?"

"Yeah… I've always thought it was a pretty name. Hiyoko wanted a Japanese name… we had a fight about it, she wouldn't stop swearing at me." He said, chuckling. "I always hated that side of her. As much as I loved her, she really did know how to piss me off."

"H-h-hehehe… that means y-y-you t-t-truly did love h-h-her!" The siren said. She remained silent for a moment, softly closing her eyes. She could feel her consciousness drifting.

"Daisuke… I'm sorry. I c-c-can't...hold on."

"We're almost there baby girl, stay with me. Hey! Help us! Goddammit!" He shouted, splashing the water. "Hey!"

"Survivors!" A voice shouted. "Oi, come about lads! We got some live ones over here!"

Daisuke sighed, as one of the nearby boats slowly approached them. He felt the last of his energy leaving him. He slowly drifted away… feeling the darkness ebbing at his vision.

* * *

** Location: RMS Carpathia**

**Time: 5:00 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

"Hey… wake up."

Daisuke groaned, as he slowly opened his eyes. His vision cleared and there she was, the pinkette of his affections. He quickly sat up, thankfully avoiding hitting her with his forehead. He hugged her tightly, practically squeezing the air out of her lungs. He took her lips in a kiss, tears running down his cheeks. "Charlotte… I'm so glad that you are alive…" he said, between kisses. She giggled, kissing him back.

"I am too," she said softly. He looked around for a moment, a look of curiosity on his face.

"Where are we?"

"We're aboard the RMS Carpathia, Hijo," Maria said as she held her arm out to him he readily took it, shooting to his feet. He hugged her tightly, tears streaking down his cheeks.

"Mommy," he said weakly. "I was so scared."

"It's okay sweetie… everything is fine."

"Daisuke?"

The man let go of his mother and turned around, meeting the somber-looking Diego. The man looked like he had gone through hell and back. He was tired, slightly wet, but still rearing to go. After what had happened, he doubted anyone could sleep.

"Diego… que felicidad verte vivo." He said, hugging the Mexican boy tightly.

"Igual, amigo." He replied, gesturing to the others. "We're about to take roll call. To see who is missing,"

He nodded, following him and Charlotte to the aft part of the Carpathia's boat deck. The participants of the killing game were gathered there, what was left of them. Miyaki shot forward, hugging Daisuke tightly, followed by Nico and Alice.

"Easy girls, easy… I'm happy to see you all too!"

"Heh… I'm surprised to see you make it." Lars said, puffing on a cigar as he leaned back in his seat. "Gotta admit, you got lucky. If you hadn't made it to our boat, you would have frozen to death and that… is a bad way to go."

"Lars… I am not surprised that you're here. It would be a surprise if you weren't_._"

"Don't get too comfortable," Reukra said, glaring at the demonologist. "This fucker almost killed us!"

"I needed a ticket off that ship, if you had handed the kid over, things would have gone fine."

"Oh fuck you, you fucking prick!" Dalila spat, shooting daggers at the man. "You almost hurt my baby boy, and I will never forgive you for that."

"Let out everything aside and take names… we uh… gotta make sure." Diego said, reaching for a piece of paper in his pocket, clearing his throat.

"Shiro Hayashi?"

"Here!"

"Mackenzie Alaestar?"

"Here."

"Bethany Yonaga?"

"Here."

The man continued on, listing everyone's names. For the most part, it went completely fine. However, it wasn't long before he had reached the near end of the list, where people started to realize the gravity of the situation.

"Mariana Nuñez?"

"I'm… I'm here." She said softly. Diego nodded, looking at the list.

"Ashton Acercas?"

Silence. The Ultimate Treant, normally boisterous among them, didn't call out. Mariana burst into tears, burying her face into her hands.

"Ethan Gold?"

Again, Diego was met with silence. He sighed, biting the inside of his cheek as he continued. "Hikaru Barloc? Ren Seishin?"

"Hikaru was in my boat," Rei said softly, holding back her tears. "He tried to pull Ren in but… this asshole pushed them both off. They were washed away."

"Rei," Daisuke said softly. He wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. He slowly rubbed her back, tuning out her sobs.

"Dylan Rufheiser?"

"He got crushed by the forward funnel," Lars said smugly, glancing at Miyaki. "I'm sure you would have loved that sweet cheeks!"

"I would love it more if both of you had died." The circus performer snapped, looking away from the man.

"Evan Drakon?"

"He was shot by an officer." The demonologist said softly. He remained silent afterward.

"Angie Yonaga? Giselly Lutźen?"

"Gis was with us on the stern," Daisuke said, causing Miyaki to look at him. Charlotte squeezed his hand tightly, tears in her eyes. "She slipped from the railing… after the ship split in half. Miyaki… She wanted me to tell you, that she loved you. That you were her best friend."

"Thank you Daisuke, for letting me know that." She said, slowly sliding down on the wall until she was sitting down. She closed her eyes tightly, holding back her tears.

"Sayaka Maizono?"

"I'm here." The former idol said softly.

"Nico Bessho?"

"H-here." She said nervously, her gaze shifting back to Daisuke. He gave her a small smile but she shyly looked away.

"Riku Ito?"

The violet haired man said nothing, raising a single hand up in the air. A few of them glared at him, while others just sat, feeling sorry for him. He lay back on the deck, looking straight into the sky, a blank look on his face.

"Vanessa Loire? Miyuki Hayashi?"

"We're here," Vanessa said, replying for the two of them. Miyuki was hugging the blanket around her tightly, trying to keep warm. She sipped from a mug she had been given, filmed to the brim with hot chocolate. "We're uh… recovering."

"Okay… that's everyone. The remaining hostages survived… however, only 3 ghosts managed to make it out of the Titanic alive. The others…"

"No… no that isn't true!" Bethany cried out. "Angie said she would come back… she said we would get it together!"

"She's dead," Riku said firmly, causing the Ultimate Pele to glare at him.

"You… You damn liar!"

"I'm not lying!" He snapped, sitting up. He reached into his pocket, tossing the whistle that had saved his life onto the deck. "Her whistle saved my ass from the water!"

"No… no!"

"H-Hikaru," Rei mumbled, holding back her sobs. "This is what you felt when I died huh? We were supposed to go together!"

"I can't… I cant believe this shit… how… how could we be put through this?" Kanemoto cried, holding back tears. "How?"

_**"That's how despair works kiddos!" **_Surrashakuma chirped as she walked onto the deck. _**"What can I say, I am impressed with these results!"**_

"Fuck you!" Daisuke spat angrily as he stepped up toward the bear. "You despair loving fuck, I'm going to punt you to the sun, and give you a dose of Justice!"

_**"Uh-uh! You touch me and you die boy. Don't forget that!" **_She said cheerfully. _**"The only reason I am here is to congratulate you! You managed to make it through the 4 days. And now you get to go free, and as luck would have it, 3 of you get shiny tickets too, isn't that nice?"**_

"3?" Haruna mumbled.

"Tch… so someone did end up finding some and cashing them…" Diego mumbled under his breath. Surrashakuma turned around, tapping the deck with her cane.

_**"Anyway, I've come to let ya out. You all survived! I am certain you will cherish what happened here. Believe me, what we have prepared for you will make you want to live in the NWP forever. It will truly be A Night to Remember!"**_

Daisuke shuddered as he felt his body start to tingle. He noticed his skin was glowing brightly, dematerializing. He reached a hand out to Charlotte, but she burst into sparkles. It wasn't long before he met the same fate, as he and everyone else had been forcefully logged out. What awaited them on the outside would be the beginning of a whole new set of Horrors. Despair would never end on Hora Island ...

* * *

**Location: Hora Island (Jibo's Mansion)**

**Time: 12:00 PM**

**Date: August 12th, 2020**

"Hmm… I would classify this experiment as a success." the former Ultimate Biologist said, sneering as he spun around in his chair. "I can't say I commend them, they went through some rigorous trials in there. I almost wished to have them in there for a year of the game's time. Alas, we don't have that kind of time on our hands,"

"Master, do you think the city is prepared?" Syd asked curiously.

"Of course… Kinsei has been doing an excellent job sprucing the place up. He's gone above and beyond to get things moving. Especially with that little hobby of his."

"Do you believe Saino has what it takes to run the next leg of this game? Silent Hill is certain to be full of peculiar things. You went quite far in order to replicate the feel of that desolate town… I don't think she's ready. In my honest opinion, of course."

"Worry not Syd, I am sure one day in the future you will be able to run your own part of the game. Now… about our ticket winners. Have they been accommodated?"

"Indeed, though we did have some trouble with one of them." the surgeon said, holding out his tablet. He swiped his finger across the screen, showing an image of an empty pod. "It seems like Dylan is quite angry at what happened in that simulation. Despite being saved from death via ticket, he stormed out before the situation could be fully explained. He's somewhere on the island as we speak,"

"Yes, I am quite aware of the situation. In fact, I've sent out Kinsei to fetch him, since he had more than one ticket, he got himself free passage off this island." the man said firmly, clearing his throat. "What of the hostages, have they been moved?"

"Maria, Miyuki, and Vanessa have been moved to secure locations. Or rather, two of them were. Vanessa managed to break her restraints. Perhaps turning her into a siren like her sister was a bad idea, she's somewhere in the open ocean now."

"I see…" Jibo said, clenching his jaw. He turned around as he looked back at the pods. He noticed them all slowly opening, hissing loudly as the participants were slowly waking up. "Have the other two ticket winners been captured as well?"

"Yes, they have been very secured by myself and Saino. What do you wish to do with them?" Syd asked curiously. Jibo let out a small smile.

"Well… I plan to use them as hostages as well. Just because they regained their lives doesn't mean they'll get away scot-free. If they want to get out, then they'll have to play the game themselves."

"Of course… one of the subjects is on the move. I believe you've already given them a motive?" the surgeon asked, earning a nod from the man.

"Indeed I have, I'm certain they'll carry on as they have previously." Jibo chuckled his gaze firmly on the screen. "Now, pay close attention to the screen, I'm about to give them their next incentive."

_xxx_

"What's going on?" Daisuke mumbled as he dropped to his knees. He looked around, seeing he had woken up inside a building. All around him lay a multitude of pods, all of them hooked into a large machine, a super computer, which was whirling loudly.

"Was… all of that real?" Miyaki asked, as she shakily stood up.

"It was all in our heads… whatever happened there likely didn't affect us. I don't believe a single day has even passed," Eris said firmly, as she took in her surroundings. "These pods… they look familiar… like the ones in the SCP Foundation Base."

"You're right, they seem to be made from the same material too," Haruna said, knocking on the metal with her fist. "Whatever the case may be, I am just glad to be back in the real world."

"Y-yeah… same here," Reukra said, as he took a hold of her hand.

"Aw… I don't have boobs anymore." Shiro said, puffing her cheeks out in a pout. She looked at herself over, smiling. "Hey, at least my dress was fixed, and someone did my make up too!" she said cheerfully.

"It seems we were all well cared for while we were in those pods. Could they perhaps be responsible for keeping us well fed and clothed?" Nyx asked. She opened and closed her hands, a weird feeling running through them. "Being back in this body is kind of odd."

"Tell me about it… I got used to your other form," Alice said, giving her a smile. "It's good to have you back like this Nyx… you look cuter this way," she said, making the halfling flush.

"Miss Dalila! You're in your green dress again, and look… I'm a mean ol' scary shark again!" Seisha said, growling at the girl. She giggled, shaking her head.

"My meanie sharkboy is back… but you best behave yourself, okay?"

"Okay… we should play with Mr. Bitey and Salimba when we can, I missed them!" he said.

"Well, if you excuse me… I've got places to be," Lars said, tugging on his coat as he started walking outside. Diego followed suit, grabbing his arm once they had left the building.

"We aren't done." he hissed, causing him to stop. "You shot at us… you killed Ethan!"

"What?" Daisuke cried, eyes widening. "You… you killed Ethan?"

"I did. What of it? He was the mole in our little tale… he was likely trading information on all of us to Jibo and that fuckface surgeon. So why should it matter?"

"Hey," Haruna spoke up, grabbing their attention. "If Lars killed Ethan, does that mean that we're going to go to trial over it?"

"_**Actually sweetcheeks, you are totally wrong!" **_the familiar voice of Surrashakuma said, appearing before them. "_**Ethan lost his life during a Tragedy, even if he was killed by Lars. That means that he doesn't count. Besides, the little bug turned traitor, so why does it matter?"**_

"It doesn't, but it's the fact that this motherfucker killed someone that pisses me off." Riku snapped, glaring at the bear. "Why does he get away with it when Ibb fucking died over it?"

"_**Well buddy, the reason why Ibb died was because she decided to kill during a nice relaxing cruise. So she rightly had to get pulled out of the game. We gave her the shovel, but she couldn't dig her own grave. Kukuku."**_

"Why you… I ought to…"

"_**You ought to what? Bitch and moan? Piss your pants… c'mon… you aren't gonna do shit. Rika Nyan Nyan~"**_

"Pfft… she used the nickname," Shiro giggled, holding a hand over her mouth. Mackenzie glared at her, causing her to clear her throat. "Uh… it isn't nice to make fun of people Miss Bear."

"Excuse me, can we just move on? We've lost so many friends already. If you are going to give us a motive then just do it. Either that or shove it up your mechanical asshole and leave us the fuck alone!" Kanemoto cried angrily. "And where the hell are the others? Nico, Sayaka, Miyuki and Maria, give them back!"

"What happened to Mallory and Rei? At least tell us if they're okay!" Reukra cried out, a worried look on his face. Charlotte stepped up, sniffling.

"Please… at least tell me my little sister is okay?"

"_**Ugh... cry me a river. You all survive a ship sinking and start demanding shit. Your hostages are safe. The ticket winners were evacuated from the island and your sister, that cunt swam away. The big man turned her into a siren as well, and it came back to bite him in the ass," **_Surrashakuma said with a giggle.

"What… what about the others… who died in the game?" Mariana said. "Where's Ashton… I know he isn't dead, hs pod was open!"

"_**Oh that… right. I'm about to show you something cool. Follow me~" **_

Daisuke swallowed the lump in his throat as he grabbed a hold of Charlotte's hand, he held her close, not wanting her to get hurt. The group followed the bear towards a clearing, eyes widening in surprise.

Ethan, Aikeno, Ibb, Ashton and Felicks' bodies had been erected on large crosses. There were singe marks around their heads. It was clear that all of them were dead, having been killed from the Neo World Program. Surrashakuma giggled loudly as she spun her cane around.

"_**Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to something I like to call, Memories of the Past! It is a segment in our show where we cut away those little itty bitty bits that are no longer useful! It's like liposuction, but you are awake and it'll hurt a lot more than getting the fat sucked out of your body."**_

"What… what do you intend to do with those bodies?" Daisuke asked, glaring at the bear. Surrashakuma grinned, pressing a button on her cane. The ground started opening up, causing everyone to jump back slightly.

"_**I'm going to do something quite amazing with them." **_she giggled. The ground revealed what looked like spinning saw blades, which started spinning wildly. As if on cue, all of the bodies fell forward into the saw blades. The sound of bones and blood being sliced up filling the air.

"NO! MOM!" Reukrea cried, as he reached for Aikeno's body, which was the next to fall into the pit. Haruna held him back, hugging him tightly as her body was ground up. One by one, the victims that had died on the Titanic, were all tossed into the saw, their bodies being ground up into a thick paste. All except Ashton. The doors to the saws closed, just in time for a wood chipper to be brought into the clearing.

"_**And now for the final act… ladies and gentlemen I give you, the human mulch!"**_

"No… ASHTON!"

A loud grinding sound filled the air as his body was dropped into the wood chipper. The machine buckled and whirled around loudly as his body was pulled deeper and deeper by the roaring saw blades. The spout was spraying the ground with pieces of wood and dark green blood. Mariana's screams echoed over the whirling machine as it slowed to a stop. Surrashakuma tapped the side of the machine with her cane causing it to open. Out came three large bags of Acercas Brand Mulch, with Ashton's face plastered on them.

"_**Ew… these came out smelling weird. Reminds me of that dude that got turned into Butter." **_

"You animal!"

"_**Why thank you, I am a bear after all." **_the two-toned bear said. "_**Now… I'll turn it over to someone that I loathe. Take it away Kinsei." **_the bear said, as she left the clearing, dragging the three bags of Mulch with her.

Suddenly there was a loud keening sound, like someone turning on a microphone system or something, and a loud voice spoke out over the area. "HEL-LO, test subjects! Nice ta not-actually meet'cha! Thought I'd give ya a quick hello as you make your way to your next murder-filled nightmare."

"What the hell is going on? Who the fuck are you?!" Daisuke exclaimed, looking around in order to find the source of the voice. The young man chuckled, his voice reverberating through the forest.

"Well, I thought some of you would find it boring just trekking through the big ol' woods by lonesome, so when I saw one of the, shall we say, 'bigger' Failed Ultimates was actually nearby, I figured I'd call him over for you guys to play with. He might even escort you to wherever your next destination might be!"

"You're calling something here?! Why?! Stop it!" Charlotte screamed, fear written on her face.

"Well, on the 'why' because I'm bored and it seems fun. On the 'stop' part, can't: he's already in range. Hehehehehe." The sound cut out… only to be replaced with a distant thumping shaking the very ground beneath their feet.

"_**ROOOAAARRR!"**_

A loud, toneless roar echoed up from the forest behind them, causing some to cover their ears, though less from the sound and more out of surprise and even fright. As one, the group turned around to look back at the path they had traveled.

Something was stomping towards them. Something _big_.

It stood at least nine feet tall, covered in hair and in bulging muscles. It was humanoid-shaped, except the shaggy legs ended in large black hooves. The head looked like a sick mix of cow and man, with a widened mouth and nostrils extended out like snout, and large black sunken-in eyes glaring out at the world. Jutting out of its head were giant gray horns ending in needle points.

In short, it was a minotaur, and it was glaring at them in a manner that could only be described as 'murderous'.

"_**ROOOOOARRRRR!"**_

Again, a wall of noise crashed through the surroundings. Trees shook and some nearly fell to their knees from the sheer force of noise.

"Everybody RUN!" Daisuke called out. No one needed to be told twice.

Seeing the prey running, the Minotaur began stalking forward, roaring after them as it picked up speed.

_xxx_

Dylan made his way through the forest, having escaped his pod before the others. He had briefly met with Syd and Saino but had gotten away when they had tried to take him away. He heard the roar of a large creature and remembered the abomination that had chased them not long ago. Hopefully, they were all dead by now, especially that ass Lars. He'd have killed the bastard himself if he'd gotten the chance, but he hadn't been expecting the forward funnel to crush him. He was surprised when he woke up in his pod after being ejected from the game. Thankfully, his golden ticket had spared him. He would get Lars back, but he could settle on this. Now it was just a matter of getting through the forest; he did not care for the sounds he was hearing from the underbrush.

Eventually, he ended up in a clearing. In the center was a young man, a few years older than him and decked out in purple and black. He was sitting on a rock, twirling a silver diamond-topped cane in his hands. He looked up at Dylan as he approached. "Ah, Dylan Rufheiser, Ultimate Psychopath I presume?"

"You'd presume right." Said Psychopath responded, eyes darting warily around the clearing as the noises seemed to pick up again.

"Oh relax," the man scoffed, standing up from his rock, "None of the creatures here will harm us, I'm certain of that."

Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? What, can you control them or some shit like that?"

Purple-guy smirked. "Heh, I'm the only person on this island who _can_ control them, actually." He paused, looking away briefly with a gloved hand on his chin. "Well, the Manticore can be kinda finicky, should probably put him down soon, _especially_ if that prototype actually starts to work on him." He shook his head, focusing on the conversation at hand again. "But not important. I'm Kinsei, Ultimate Alchemist. I've come to escort you and your golden ticket to the mansion and from there your ride off this island."

That brought a grin to the Psychopath's face. "Great. About damn time. I have some people off this island I need to kill."

"Mm, don't we all," Kinsei commented. "Anyone in particular?"

"Yeah, that bitch Yukiko. She threw me under the bus back on the moon, and now I get to show _her_ what a knife to the eye feels like."

The Alchemist quirked an eyebrow at hearing that, the corners of his mouth turning down slightly. "Really? You even sure you'll even be able to find her? It's a big world, assuming she's even still alive in it."

"Oh, I'll find her alright, and when I do she'll -"

"Yeah, don't need the details." Kinsei interrupted, looking disinterested in the whole matter. "Just surprised you'd bother going down that avenue."

Dylan scoffed slightly. "Yeah, and that's what I said to your slut mom last night. So can we-"

"Could you repeat that you knock-off Cuban cigar?" The Alchemist suddenly asked, his voice utterly flat. He was staring at the Psychopath, his face completely blank and expressionless. Unnoticed by the Artificial Ultimate, the hand currently holding the top of his cane tightened its grip.

Not thinking anything of it - surely whoever that doc sent to him would follow orders - Dylan leaned in closer. "I said your slut mother was a cunt, ya got that buddy?" Leaning back, he looked off to the side, looking for however they'd leave the woods. "Alright enough of this shit, let's just-"

THWACK

Pain suddenly blossomed from the back of his head. Wh-what wa-

THWACK

He hit the ground, more pain thundering through his brain. He couldn't think properl-

THWACK

Something flew out in front of his face, landing on the ground before him. i-It was h-his eye. His eye was out of his head! He could see his own face-

THWACK

The diamond-tipped cane slammed down onto his head, denting it. He couldn't process this, the pain was-

THWACK

His jaw dislocated, the right half shattered. A low groan wormed its way out of-

THWACK

His head was c-caving in. He-he couldn't even move. w-was s-something brok-ken there, or someth-

THWACK

The optic nerve connecting the loose eye was finally severed by that strike, and-

THWACK

He couldn't feel his forehead a-anymore, h-his other eye was g-getting blurr-

THWACK

He, he couldn't die like this, not after coming back not when he still-

THWACK

w-w-when h-he, he -

THWACK

THWACK

THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK

THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK _THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK_

_THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK __**THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK **__**THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK**_

—

After Kinsei had _thoroughly_ vented his emotions, he made sure his right glove was clean of any potential debris before brushing back some loose strands of hair from his face. Carefully, he pulled the diamond handle of his cane from the meaty red paste that now stained the ground and began wiping said diamond clean on the body's shirt. He never liked getting gore on his cane - well, _outside_ of a ritual.

"_Well, there was no longer a golden ticket holder around, so it seemed he had no further reason to bother being here. Dad probably wouldn't care, he hadn't given a damn about the knockoff Ultimate when he'd been made, so there probably wasn't any real harm in punishing a transgressor. Besides, this way no one was gunning for that half-sister of his, and Dad seemed to actually like her, so…_

_Eh, if Dad asked - which he wouldn't - He'd just say the fucker was stepped on by something, or tried to shiv Nick, depending."_

He looked down at the corpse. "I'd offer condolences, but … heh, it's not like you counted as an _actual_ person or anything." Turning around, he walked away, paying no more thought to the pile of dead artificial meat.

Normally, he'd bring the body back with him - alchemical rituals always required fuel, and he'd never been one to be bothered by something like 'taboo' - but honestly, he didn't feel like it. Besides, the fauna around these parts needed _something_ to eat besides each other, even if it might give them indigestion afterward.

Pulling out the teleportation crystal he'd crafted last year, Kinsei returned to the mansion. That Mono-homunculus he was putting together wasn't going to build itself, after all.

* * *

_**xxx(End of Act 4)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 19**

**Ghost Peeps: 3**

**Hostages: 3**

* * *

**A/N: And with that, this Chapter is finally closed! It has been an honor writing this for you all, I had a lot of fun writing something that had to do with one of my favorite subjects in the world, The Titanic. And now that the ship of dreams is gone, we can move onto the next leg of the story!**

**Alas, this chapter comes the hiatus. I know, I don't want to do this, but I must prepare for DC, meaning I have to work behind the scenes planning and writing a backlog of chapters so I can be ready for that. Not just that, but I've also got other stories to plan out and structure, so I can't continue regular posts. It's weird.. The last hiatus I had was when I was lacking the full cast and now… putting it on hiatus again feels **_**odd.**_

**Major shout out goes to WinterSmith, who wrote both interactions with Kinsei for this chapter. I've been wanting to use these for awhile and now I get the honor too. Thanks again for those dude, they are much appreciated! Check out his story, Creatures of Despair, the middle story in the Hora Island Trilogy! **

**I would also like to give a shoutout to Alter Ego AV, who submit Ashton Acercas into the story. You knew he had to go and his time was up. Shoutout to PokemanSuperAllStar for his OCs, Hikaru and Ren, both of which will be dearly missed. And of course, the final shoutouts go to JCW18, Bellatrixshine and Runicwolf, who created Aikeno, Felicks and Ibb. It was a pleasure having them in this story.**

**With this… I bid you all adieu. Though the parting hurts, it shall not be for long! Peace out!**


	32. C2: May your Heart be Your Guiding Key

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Omake 3

May your Heart Be Your Guiding Key

**A/N: Hey y'all. This is gonna be a short omake chapter, it's gonna be an extended Free Time Event between two characters. I wasn't able to get more interactions with them in the story proper so I decided to do a quick FTE Omake. I might do these in the future, I might not. But I felt the need to do this one as I didn't do it justice when I was writing it out. Hope you all enjoy it, this is the only post you'll be seeing from Isle during the Hiatus… see ya!**

**xxx**

**Location: Palm Court (A-Deck)**

**Time: 2:10 PM**

**Date: April 13th, 1912**

Bethany sighed as she swirled her drink around. Due to her being fifteen years of age, she wasn't able to get an adult drink. Still she was welcomed in the Palm Court, as she held a First Class Ticket. She looked around the court, taking in the ambiance.

This was one of the prettiest places in the First Class area of the ship, in her opinion. The checkered tiles and open parlor areas breathed life into it. The decorative palms seemed to bring some much needed greenery to the room and the vines also made it feel comforting. It felt as if she was in a garden, despite those being the only plants around. She was at peace, breathing normally and not having to worry about exploding.

She downed the last of her lemonade, setting the glass down on the coaster that had been provided for her. They had strictly told her they didn't want glass rings on the table top. She had rolled her eyes but she really didn't want to cause issues. She looked at her hands, for the first time seeing they weren't slightly red. She was still getting used to her new powers, she didn't consider herself a goddess, as much as the next person. But being a Pele did come with its own challenges. Having to focus on controlling your own body heat and not burn the ones around you, as well as setting everything on fire was hard.

The last thing she wanted was to accidentally kill someone. Especially if she gave them a hug or a handshake, though she doubted she'd want to hug anyone from their current group. While she did admit, some of the boys were very cute, she never really felt attracted to them. She was more into girls, something she had kept to herself for most of her teenage years. She closed her eyes tightly, leaning back in her seat.

"This is so hard. Not only do I have to deal with the onset of these new fire powers, but I also have to deal with this killing game. I'm supposed to be the Oracle of Atua and yet I haven't done anything. Nothing but shove my religion down everyone's throats." she sighed, slowly opening her eyes. She saw someone entering the Palm Court, looking around for a few seconds before spotting her.

"Yoo-hoo! Bethany, dear sister there you are!"

"Hmm… oh, hello sis." she said softly, as Angie took a seat across from her. The girl was surprised she didn't do the customary kisses she was used to. She tilted her head slightly, quirking a brow. "What are you doing up here? You know you could get in trouble right?"

"I know, but so long as I am with you, I doubt they'll do anything. You are a First Class Ticket holder after all." she said, shrugging it off. Angie looked the girl up and down, her happy demeanor changing. "What seems to trouble you sister, you seem sad."

"Nothing troubles me… it's just-" the girl paused, taking a breath. She looked away from her sister, focusing on the revolving doors that would lead to the First Class Smoking Room. A thin veil of smoke filled the room and the laughter of men could be heard.

"Being the Oracle is troublesome, isn't it?" Angie asked, causing Bethany to look at her. She was giving her a bright smile, like she always did when she was upset. "I remember when I was selected by Atua, things became a whole lot different than being a normal girl."

"Y-yes." Bethany replied, rolling her shoulders a bit. "The Chieftain was saddened by your death. We held a festival in your honor, but we never got over it. It felt like Kuikawa lost a part of itself. Things started… turning bad, to say the least. Your death brought despair to our island, most people ended up killing their children, their family and themselves. Others would starve themselves in protest. Even the Chieftain wasn't spared, however, the light of Atua shined down on me, and I was thrust into this new world."

"You weren't selected by Atua, the Chieftain chose you because you were a Yonaga." the woman said, earning a nod from her sister. Angie placed a hand on her cheek, giving her a smile. "Pick your head up sister. There is nothing to be ashamed of… I know settling into the role is tough. Even I wasn't prepared for the many rituals that we had to conduct on the island."

"Yes… it was even worse then… the time came. You know… you won't be recognized as an adult on Kuikawa Island until you lose your virginity. It was rough, especially since there weren't that many lesbians on the island. The ones that were, had partners already… I had to have my first time with someone I didn't love. Which is fine I guess… but I wished to save myself for the woman that I fell in love with."

"I understand, I myself wished to save myself for the man that I fell in love with. Sadly that's ingrained in our culture, it's something that we cannot avoid. I did meet that man though. Yasuhiro Hagakure… he was an idiot, pothead, and had the worst luck with money. But he managed to win my heart. He also had me screaming Atua's holy name in while he as he put it 'Dusted those pale ass cheeks.'"

"A-Angie!" Bethany cried, a crimson flush on her face.

"Sex is a normal part of life sister, you'll need to get used to it one of these days. Especially when you find that lucky lady," Angie said, giving her a wink. She brushed some hair out of her eyes, becoming a bit serious. "I've heard from the others, what that man has done to you."

"Oh?" the girl mumbled, looking down at the table. "Y-yeah… he's uh… turned me into a fire goddess."

"A goddess?" the woman queried, a look of confusion on her face. "Do you feel divine?"

"Not really… I feel a divine sense of burning Jibo Momota alive with my fire powers until he cries Atua's name in agony."

"Wishing death upon someone isn't healthy dear sister. Though believe me, I want to bring death on every Ultimate Despair that tried to attack our home. Especially the ones who brought you to Hora Island. Seeing you here was the last thing I wanted," she admitted, earning a frown from the girl.

"Why didn't you approach me before? You were at Hora Village weren't you? Did you run before I got there just to avoid me?" she asked curiously. Angie shook her head, glancing over her shoulder at one of the plants.

"I wasn't doing it to avoid you. I just… didn't want you to see me as a ghost. I feel like an awful sister… I went and killed 3 of my friends. I got myself killed and left you all alone. You grew up without me, and I've only got myself to blame."

"No… no!" Bethany said, taking a hold of Angie's hands. She held them tightly, giving her a bright smile. "Don't blame yourself for that Angie. You did that because you felt scared, you wanted to get out of there. I am going through the same thing right now, I'm scared that any day could be my last. Growing up without you was tough, but it made me a kinder person as well. I love you sis, never blame yourself for leaving me alone."

"Excuse me ladies… would you care for anything else?" one of the waiters asked. Angie cleared her throat, giving the man a smile.

"I wouldn't mind a slice of cake, vanilla please, I never really liked chocolate."

"I'll take some vanilla care too please," Bethany said, glancing at her glass for a moment. "And more lemonade, that last glass was delicious."

"Of course, I shall return momentarily." the man said, giving the two a bow before leaving the Court. The two girls giggled, sharing a grin.

"He was pretty cute wasn't he?" Angie asked, earning a nod from her sister.

"I may like girls, but I can admit, he was indeed very cute."

The two remained quiet, the silence being quite comfortable. They didn't have much to share, but there was something else brewing in Bethany's mind. It was something that she had on her mind since she had been selected for this role. She tapped her sister's hand, grabbing her attention. She had been immersed in her surroundings, taking in the detail of every single tile in the room.

"Hey sis… I have a question… what do you do if you don't feel up to the role of Oracle?"

"I'm not sure." Angie mused, poking the table with her finger tip. "I wasn't exactly up to the task when I was selected. Especially with all of the rituals I was a part of. I let my love of Atua guide me… I may have said I could hear him, but I never could. The voices I did hear, were probably my own conscience telling me it was all wrong. Even the sex that I was having didn't take my mind off of it. Being selected for Hope's Peak Academy was the best thing that could have happened to me. It gave me some time to breathe."

"So… do you think I should quit then? I don't feel up to the task here," Bethany said, looking down at her hands. "I'm scared that I'll mess up, and that the last of our people will follow me to our destruction. I don't hear his voice Angelina, I don't hear it… what do you think I should do?"

"Follow your heart." Angie said, placing a hand over Bethany's chest. "It will never steer you wrong."

"Follow my heart?" she mumbled. Angie nodded, leaning back in her seat.

"There was a saying grandmother used to say a lot when she was alive. "May Your Heart be your Guiding Key." I never understood what that meant, but as I grew up and became an Oracle, I figured out what it meant. Do whatever you think feels right, even if that means lying to everyone about what you are hearing. As long as it keeps everyone safe, that's all that matters."

"May my heart be my guiding key… I'll take that advice sis… thank you. I needed this chat."

"I needed it too, I'm sorry for taking so long to speak with you. I shouldn't be scared of speaking to my own family. I love you little sister, forever and always,"

**xxx**

**Location: Lifeboat Number 6**

**Time: 2:10 AM**

**Date: April 15th, 1912**

Bethany clasped her hands together, holding back her shivers as she looked upon the ship of dreams. The once mighty unsinkable Titanic, was now nothing more than a wounded animal. Groaning and crying, begging for the pain to end. Alas, it's suffering was prolonged, as water continued to flood its once beautiful interiors. All of the boats had been launched, leaving behind more than 1500 people, running through the promenade in their feeble attempts to survive. The cries of the frightened passengers rang through the air, as the beautiful lights of the ship blinked, settling after a few moments as it struggled to retain power.

"B-Beth." the voice of Kanemoto said, causing her to shift her gaze over to her. The Pokemon Trainer was sitting nearby, having been the only one of their friends to be put on the same boat as her. She grabbed a hold of the blanket draped over her shoulders, pulling it around her. She wrapped an arm around her, hugging her tightly. "Everything will be okay,"

"No it won't!" the girl exclaimed, though it wasn't over a whisper. "My sister… she's still on that ship!"

"I know… but you never know. She might have gotten away on a boat… there's still hope." she replied. Bethany hugged her tightly, burying her face in her neck. "You just have to continue believing in her."

"I… I will."

The two continued watching the scene before them, unable to tear their eyes from it. The sounds of the ship groaning were accompanied by the screams of people. The furniture within the cabins all moved forward, breaking against the sides of the cabins. Breaking china and glass could be heard as well, as ship continued sinking lower beneath the waves.

Moments later, the ship's lights went out for the final time. All was still for a moment, before the creaking of metal and the sound of boards breaking filled the air. Bethany couldn't help but gasp, as the mighty Titanic slowly broke apart. The stern fell back with a wham, sending water and bodies floating in all directions.

"Praise be Atua. T-Those poor people!" the girl said softly. She wanted to squeeze her eyes shut but she was mesmerized by the scene in front of her. "I.. this is awful."

"It'll be over soon Beth, it'll all be over soon." Kanemoto said, hugging the girl tightly. Bethany finally tore her eyes away from the scene, burying her face in the Pokemon Trainer's chest. The screams of the remaining passengers going down with the ship would haunt her for the rest of her days.

**xxx**

**Location: Hora Island**

**Time: ?**

**Date: August 12th, 2020**

"Beth… are you okay?" Kanemoto asked softly.

The group had taken a bit of a break, having avoided the Minotaur for the last few minutes. They had managed to find a small cavern, far away from the nearest clearing. Daisuke, Diego and Alice had been trying to find their way, having left everything in a hurry. They had no supplies, no food and worst of all, no map. For whatever reason though, Daisuke had been lucky enough to have his bag with him, and within had been several power bars, it was the only source of food they had gotten in days.

"Why would you ask me that?" the girl hissed in anger. "My sister is gone forever, the chance to bring her back is lost to me. Not just that, we lost so many others, and just when we finally get out of that damn program, we're sent running again."

"Calm down, sweetheart your skin is glowing. You'll attract the minotaur over!" she said softly. Bethany sighed, focusing on calming herself down.

"I'm sorry… it's just… I finally got my sister back, only for her to be wretched away from me. And it angers me even more that she tried to save Riku and the fucker didn't bother. She wasted her time on him, time that she could have used to get herself on a lifeboat." she said, holding her hand out. Pure white flames swirled around the palm of her hand, her hair glowing slightly. "I will always hold that against him. If we didn't have a gun to the back of our heads, I would burn him alive."

"You should be careful with your emotions Beth," Kanemoto warned, glancing over her shoulder, where the gray haired neko was sitting. He hadn't done much since arriving at the cave, just sit there staring at the wall. "I get that you resent him for what happened on the Titanic, but we need to move on from it. Believe me… losing so many of my friends hurts."

"I know that… I know that there isn't anything I can do. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't rough him up a bit. It's all his fault!"

"No… it's no ones fault." the pokemon trainer said, placing a hand on Bethany's cheek. She cringed a bit due to how hot her face was, but didn't say anything. "Angie's death isn't your fault… it isn't anyones. She loved you Bethany, she wanted to find a ticket to be back with you. But she also wanted to move on. She wanted to be with her love."

"She… she did? When did she say this?" the girl said softly. Kanemoto looked away, bowing her head.

"When she spoke with Mariana and me at the aft Grand Staircase. She and Giselly were trying to look for you. She convinced me to get out of the ship while I still had time. At that moment, I was ready to die with Anna and Ash. But then she made me realize that I also had something to lose. She mentioned Hiro… I remembered Rin, and I hated myself." she replied, drying her tears away. She forced a smile onto her face. "I couldn't just die and leave her behind. Rin is my everything… so I made that choice and got onto that boat. I should have brought her with me, but she wanted to look for you."

"I-" she paused, closing her eyes for a moment. "May your Heart be your Guiding Key."

Bethany brushed the tears away from her eyes, placing a hand on Kanemoto's shoulder. "You tried to save her, but she made a choice… she was following her heart."

"Following her heart huh?" the pokemon trainer said, glancing towards the cavern entrance. The sun was beginning to set, evident by the moving rays. "Are you gonna follow yours?"

"I am… I'll follow mine until the end, I'll get us off this island. I can't wait for you all to visit Kuikawa, you are going to enjoy it there! I'm sure of it!"

"Of course. Just as long as there's no pagan rituals or some weird sex thing going on, I'm totally fine with it. Maybe me and Rin can vacation there once we meet up again?"

"Definitely! And don't worry about the whole sex thing, things on Kuikawa Island are quite liberal. I'm glad to meet someone else like me, say… how is it that you were able to get Rin to like you? I want a cute girl myself. Who's on top when you mess around? Do either of you wanna adopt?"

"What… what? Why are you asking me these questions?" the brunette cried, eyes widening.

"I just wish to become better friends with you Kanna! I want to learn all of your secrets so that I too can get a cute girl to like me!" Bethany exclaimed happily. Kanemoto sighed, shaking her head.

"Oh brother."

* * *

**Location: Undisclosed**

**Time: ?**

**Date: August 12th, 2020**

"Hey… Sayaka." a voice softly said, causing the blue haired girl to stir awake. She scanned the area for a moment, forcing herself to sit up.

"Huh… what?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her hand. She took a deep breath, the air filling her lungs with a rather disgusting musty scent. She started coughing, hitting her chest rather hard.

It was then that she realized something. She was breathing, she could smell… she felt her heart beating in her body. She sat back, looking at her hands, opening and closing them a few times. She shakily reached up to her face, touching it for a few moments.

She was alive.

She was breathing.

She felt her heart beating in her chest, her eyes clouded over as tears began running down her cheeks. Her lip quivered, her body betraying her as she started to cry.

"Are you alright?"

She sniffled, looking up at the source of the voice. "I-I'm fine." she said, brushing her tears away. She noticed the one who had spoken to her had been Nico. The former idol looked around for a moment, noticing they were in some sort of warehouse. Before she could ask her question, Nico decided to speak.

"I don't know. I was awake when the simulation ended. It seems that Dylan got away from Saino and Syd. They captured me as I tried to run and you weren't awakened yet. I woke up only a little while ago. I'm not sure where we are either." Nico said, forcing herself to stand up. She brushed the dirt off of her skirt, her eyes shifting around. "At least, they managed to dress us accordingly. It's been a while since I've worn this, but the sweater is a bit much."

Sayaka looked down at her own outfit, frowning. This was not what she was wearing the last time she was alive. In fact, she was wearing a perfect replica of her idol outfit. The powder puff pink dress seemed to hug her body perfectly. This particular dress lacked sleeves, and had a frilled collar. The skirt was frilled as well and covered in pink ribbons. Her navel was left completely exposed, making her quite embarrassed about the outfit. She was also wearing her stage shoes, a pair of white galoshes that had been designed precisely for this outfit. Her hair was tied to the side of her head with a frilly pink bow.

She looked like she was about to give a performance. Normally, she would be ecstatic to be in this get up. At the current moment however, she wasn't. She forced herself to stand up, clutching her head slightly. After being a ghost for so long, it was odd being back in an actual body.

"Fucking shit… of all the outfits they could have shoved me in, it had to be this one." the former idol mumbled, a deep frown on her face. She started moving towards the window, brows furrowing. "Uh… are we in a city?"

"I believe so. I think Jibo said something about a city north of where we were at… I don't know what this one is called, but Syd mentioned something about a hospital." Nico said softly. Sayaka narrowed her eyes, glancing around for any discernible landmarks. All she could see were the darkened streets below. Or rather, she could see vibrant lights, fires and the typical features of a city. It was quite large in fact, large enough for her to consider the possibility of having been moved out of Hora Island.

"What exactly are we supposed to do? Did you see what they did to the hostages that were still alive?"

"Sadly, I didn't. My only guess is this, they separated us from the others with the intention of putting us in a killing game. I'm ot sure what Jibo intends to do with us, but I find it weird that we've been moved to a warehouse in the middle of a city." the former guesser mumbled, a pensive look on her face. "Unless… unless we were moved here for another reason."

"That's probably the case… Jibo isn't working alone, maybe we were moved here by someone else?" Sayaka asked. The two girls jumped at the sound of crackling static, causing the two to turn around, glaring at what looked like a speaker box.

"No shit sherlock. It's quite obvious that you've been moved here by someone else. Jesus H, what they say is true. Idols are just airheads!"

"Excuse me? Why don't you come down here and say that to my face, you pussy?" the blue haired woman cried angrily. "Who the hell are you?"

"Me? No one special, just the son of the man who's currently your judge, jury and executioner! I would like to welcome the two of you to what I like to call, Silent Hill!"

"Silent Hill? Like the video game, are you serious?" Nico asked, a look of shock and surprise on her face.

"Yes, like the video game. I'm gonna clue you in on a little secret, my dad has some special technology with him. Tech that can allow him to uh… warp special places from media into reality. The city you are all in was a real settlement here at one point. We just took creative liberties, let's just say, when the fog rolls in, that's when you'll want to head for the hills. The hills have eyes though, so you'll have to be veeery careful."

"Well what do you want us to do?" Sayaka snapped, glaring at the box. She looked around for a moment, trying to see if she could find the surveillance camera.

"What I want you to do sweetcheeks, is to get to the hospital in the center of town. That shall be the main objective for you and everyone else who's currently being directed here, by my buddy the minotaur. However, do note that for every day that you don't make it, the thicker the fog will get. Making it that much harder to traverse. Make it to the top of the hospital in one piece, and you'll get taken to a safehouse on the other side of the island."

"I hate to be that person but… what happens if we don't?" Nico asked curiously. The voice burst into laughter, which echoed through the warehouse.

"Believe me sweetie, you don't want to be in this city when the fog rolls in. There is a lot of fucked up shit that lives in that fog. It's going to be a lot worse than whatever delusions you faced in that simulation. Do be careful, you are safe until the fog rolls in, but that doesn't mean there won't be something else wanting to take a piece of you."

"A piece of me? I don't like the sound of that." the idol mumbled, shivering slightly. Without knowing the connotation behind those words, she wasn't exactly confident in what he meant. They heard a slight beeping coming from behind them, seeing a panel in the wall had opened up. The two walked over to it, spotting a pair of pistols, along with some guns.

The first was an AR 15, a rather basic set up, with an extended magazine and an EoTech scope. Next to it was a bag of what the two would assume was ammunition. Next to it was a Benelli M4 Super 90, an automatic shotgun chambered in twelve gauge, with a bag that was filled to the brim with shotgun shells. Finally, there was a Remington 870 Hunting Rifle, with a scope and some magazines as well. The two girls shared a look, staring back at the speaker box.

"What do you want us to do with these?" Sayaka questioned, causing the man to chuckle.

"Survive."

With that, the voice was gone, leaving the two of them with little options. Sayaka grabbed a hold of the assault rifle, swallowing hard. It had been the first time she had ever held a weapon of any sort. It felt almost foreign in her grasp. Despite that, she knew how to use it. She remembered playing a lot of video games when she was younger. She grabbed a hold of the magazine, sliding it into the receiver, pulling the loading rod back with a satisfying click.

"Sayaka, you aren't serious are you?" Nico asked, eyes widening at the sight of the rifle in her hands. "You aren't going to go out there are you?"

"We have too… don't you want to meet up with the others? Aren't you and Daisuke a thing now?"

"I… I dunno. I think that was all due to the program we were in… I don't think he likes me like that." she said, causing Sayaka to laugh.

"Don't say that, Daisuke is a sweet guy. Once you are in his grasp, he isn't going to let you go. He did the same thing with Hiyoko you know, and for a short amount of time, I had the inclination of being with him as well. But alas, things don't always end up how you want them."

"I know… life is a guessing game after all. But you are right, we need to work together too-" the girl was cut off when the door to their warehouse was ripped off of its hinges. A loud scream filled the room, as what looked like a horde of angry mobsters started moving towards them. Sayaka would have considered them as such, until she saw their jaws covered in flesh and blood.

"What… what the fuck is that?!" Nico shouted. Sayaka rose the rifle to her shoulder, peering down the sight as she pulled the trigger. In a matter of seconds, the room was filled with the sounds of gunfire, the loudest sounds either of them had heard in their lives, far louder than the destruction of the Titanic.

* * *

_**xxx(End of Omake 3)xxx**_

**A/N:This story is still gonna be on hiatus while I prepare Chapter 3. This chapter came about due to me not being able to write everything I wanted during Chapter 2. So I decided to do a quite FTE between these two, a pair that I felt was squandered. I might do another Omake later on to at least keep interest in this, but Chapter 3 is a long ways away. I hope you liked this quick ready guys, thanks!  
**

**PS: The final scene with Sayaka and Nico was added after the omake was finished, as it shall be used to set up for chapter 3 so uh... yeah. Have fun with that. I will collect your salt for my porch in the winter.**


	33. C3: Act 1: Left Behind

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 3: Act 1

Left Behind

**xxx**

**Location: Hora Island (Cavern)**

**Time: 4:23 PM**

**Date: August 12th, 2020**

It hadn't been long since waking up from the simulation, a few hours at most. The surviving 19 subjects had been forced to run, thanks to Kinsei Momota and his minotaur. The group of survivors was tired, angry and hungry. Though thankfully, they had gotten a moment of reprieve. Having been forced to cut through a forest, they managed to make it to a clearing with some rocky outcrops, as well as a natural cavern. They had been wary at first, not exactly knowing what might be resting within. But thanks to the forces that be, the cavern had been completely abandoned, allowing them to use it for the time being. Now, they were all resting within, tired looks on their faces.

The cave had, for the most part, been blocked from direct sight. So if one were to look in their direction, they wouldn't be able to see the entrance. That gave them enough time to catch their breath and plan the next course of action. Daisuke was seemingly the only one who had gotten lucky enough to keep his bag. Within, lay several power bars, a few bottles of water, his handgun and his map. Among that, he had his storybook and a survival knife, as he had given Alice her bayonet back. It didn't take him long to pass out what little rations they had left, before grabbing Diego and Alice, leading them to the back of the cave.

"Okay, you two… I know I am going to be asking a lot out of you, but we need to figure out a way to get out of here. I'm not exactly the best leader, I think that role should be given to Diego, permanently."

"No amigo." the man said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You are far better at this than I am… I'm just going on instinct, and that really isn't a good thing at the moment."

"I must agree with Diego. You've been doing well so far, it's a role that fits you above everyone else." Alice said, giving him a tired smile. Daisuke sighed, shaking his head.

"No… I'm not a good leader. Look at what happened in that simulation, had I kept us all together, we would have made it out, safe and sound. Look at how many people we lost. I let those delusions get the best of me. I was even messing around with two girls instead of checking on everyone else." he muttered, glancing over his shoulder. Charlotte was laying back against one of the rocks, struggling to breathe. She had been rationing water, but it wouldn't be long until her gills dried up again.

"That simulation got the better of us man. I will admit, I myself was beginning to see things. Especially with The Prince inside my head." the Mexican boy said, sighing. "Whatever the case may be, we can decide this later. Right now, we need to figure out where we are."

The storyteller nodded, pulling out his map. He unrolled it, placing it on one of the flat rocks. Alice grabbed some nearby stones, placing them down on the map to keep it open. The three of them looked at it, staring silently at all of the locations. They shared a look, unable to find any landmarks.

"Well, this just became 3 times harder. If we can't figure out where we are, we may as well shred this map."

"Don't be so pessimistic Diego. All you need is a compass, once you figure out which way is north, you'll be able to figure out where to go." the veterinarian said cheerfully. Daisuke quirked a brow, glancing at the busty blonde.

"So Allie, where exactly are we gonna find a compass? You aren't gonna pull one out of your boobs are you?" he asked jokingly, earning a pout from her. She held her hand out, glaring at him.

"Give me your water."

"Huh… why? It's the last of the water that I have!"

"Well you decided to be a smart arse, so you gotta pay the consequences," she said, grinning. He sighed, reaching into his pack for his water bottle. He took a gulp from it, before handing it over to Alice. She looked around for a moment, finding a small indent in the rocky ground.

"Excellent, Diego, I'll need a leaf or something flat that will float."

"A leaf… I guess I can go get one," the boy mumbled briefly. He started heading toward the cavern entrance, earning odd looks from the others. Daisuke, however, remained with Alice, leaning back against the rocky wall as he watched her.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"Making a compass of course. It was one of the first things that we were taught in Fenrir, especially if you lost your way. The training was rather harsh, one of our exams had us go into Siberia with nothing but a knife and a fire blanket. Not even any clothes. We had to survive off the land, it was… particularly brutal."

"Oh," he said softly. The girl set the bottle down, frowning for a moment as she ran her fingers through her lengthy hair. She clicked her tongue, glancing briefly at the other girls.

"Drat… I need a bobby pin, but I doubt the other girls will have them. We've been roughing it for so long, I doubt we'd have any accessories like that."

"I can get you one." the boy mumbled, as he pushed himself away from the wall. He walked through the cavern, avoiding some of the small groups that had formed. He stopped next to Shiro and Mackenzie, who had been chatting amicably for a while. The painter had found some berries or some sort and had crushed them into a paste, and had been using them as paint. The two looked up, giving him a smile.

"Well if it isn't my favorite storyteller! What brings you to our lovely little hobble? Come to have a chat with two cute sweaty girls?" Shiro greeted, giving him a grin. He rolled his eyes.

"Not exactly, I need a bobby pin. And seeing as you are… well, you. I figured you'd have a spare." he said. Shiro nodded, reaching behind her head, digging at her hair for a moment.

"You are lucky my ponytail is fake and I need to use a lot of these. If not you'd be fucked," the girl said, handing him a solid white bobby pin. "I don't expect to see that one come back unless you wanna pick a lock or something."

"Daisuke knows how to pick locks?" Mackenzie asked, glancing up from the doodle she had been doing. It looked more like something a neanderthal would paint, and in its own right, it was rather charming.

"Uh… actually, I do know how to pick locks. It's a valuable skill to have."

"Ooo… that's because you are secretly the Ultimate Thief! You like sneaking into the rooms of pretty girls so you can steal their panties!"

"Hey now, I am not a pervert! Cut the shit, Shiro. Seriously!" the boy snapped, flicking her nose. She groaned for a second, giving him a pout.

"Don't do that!"

"What will we be doing then? About this whole situation, I mean." Mackenzie asked, causing Daisuke to sigh. He ran his fingers through his sweaty hair, not knowing what to say. He glanced away for a moment, seeing the glowing rays of the setting sun started to run over their clearing.

"We're uh… figuring it as we go sweetheart. For now, we might have to stay in this cave, at least until that minotaur is gone. Sit tight, we'll be outta here in no time, okay?" he said, ruffling her hair. She flushed but gave him a nod. He turned to Shiro, who had been busy playing with Mackenzie's makeshift paint. "Shi, how are you doing? Especially since your sister is… well missing."

"I'm doing fine… as fine as I can be, I guess. I know my sister is still alive, she would never bow to the whims of that madman. But I also can't worry about her… if I start to worry, then I'll mess up. If I mess up, I'll die, and if I'm dead I can't save her. So I've pushed her out of my mind, as much as it hurts." she said. Daisuke heard her sniffle slightly, causing him to kneel down to her eye level. He took a hold of her chin, slowly making her look at him.

"Hey, listen to me. Your sister is a badass, if she can survive the sinking of the motherfucking Titanic, she can survive whatever Jibo is doing to her. Just have faith in her, and you'll see her again. Right now, you gotta focus on surviving." he said firmly. Shiro gave him a small smile, pressing her lips against his cheek. It was only for a second or two, before she pulled back, giving him a wink.

"You know how to make a girl not worry you know? Go on, figure out where we gotta go. I'll keep protecting Mackenzie like I promised on the Titanic!" she said, giving him a wink. He chuckled, giving her a high five.

"Have fun painting, maybe future generations will see these doodles and think they were made by cavemen or something!" he said jokingly.

"Yeah maybe! I'll make sure to give this one huge tits!" the executioner cried excitedly, as she started painting on the wall. Daisuke sighed, rolling his eyes as he walked back to where Alice was. He briefly shared a look with Charlotte, who despite being tired, gave him a shy smile. He waved back, continuing on his way.

"Welcome back, you really do know how to swoon the ladies don't you?" Diego said, smirking, arms crossed over his chest. "First Charlotte, then Nico, Mackenzie, and Shiro? Next, you'll stake your claim on Alice won't you?"

"Of course not! Me and Charlotte are together now, and besides…" he paused, glancing at the wall. "I'm not sure if Nico is even alive, and if she is then I've got no idea where she is. I messed up with her… and it was all thanks to that stupid simulation."

"I wouldn't say that she seemed genuinely interested in you. I wish I had spent more time with her on the Titanic." Alice said, glancing back at the map. "We were in the same game together… and I failed to make sure if she was alright. She was acting weird though… when I told her she was one of the last ones to survive, only to die when she didn't make it to the escape pod, she bristled. She kept rubbing her neck a lot and looking away nervously."

"That is odd," Diego said, narrowing his eyes in thought. "She seemed to be particularly frightened of Ibb as well, especially when it was revealed that she was the one who strangled Shidou Hanao."

"Whatever the case may be, she's gone," Daisuke said, he paused for a second, slugging Diego in the arm. "And don't joke about that kind of shit asshole, I don't just go out and claim girls. For whatever reason, they all seem attracted to me. I honestly don't know what it is, I don't consider myself good looking in the slightest. Perhaps it's my voice? Who cares." he said, handing Alice the bobby pin.

"He doesn't consider himself good looking? Who is he joking? He's hot!" Alice thought, feeling her cheeks heating up. She shook her head, turning back to the small indent in the rock she had found. "I can't think like that… not after I lost Hayate. I've just gotta keep going, and I won't be able to keep living if I don't find my way."

"Anyway, this is how you make a quick compass. All you need is a piece of metal, your hair, water, and a leaf for it to float on." the former member of Fenrir said. She snapped the bobby pin in half and started rubbing it against the side of her head. "Alright Daisuke, pour some water into that indent, Diego put the leaf on that water okay?"

"Okay." the two said in unison. They did just as she asked, silently wondering what she was planning. Once everything was set up, the girl gently set the piece of metal on the water. The three stared at it closely, watching it turn ever so slightly.

"Whoa, that's pretty cool!"

"Static electricity lads, by using your hair to charge the metal, you'll be able to make a compass. It's pointing towards magnetic north. Which would be in this direction." Alice said, pointing diagonally across the cavern. Daisuke glanced at the map, trying to figure out where they were, approximate to their location.

"Well if north is in this direction, that means we must be somewhere around here. Hora Village is south, and the Neo World Program station seemed to be in a forested area." the man said, pointing to an area of the map. "If we ran in this direction, cutting through the woods, that would place us around here."

"Hmm… we might be a little more west than that," Diego said. His eyes glanced at the other areas of the map, along with the compass. "If we keep heading west, we'll run into that river. I think that would be the best idea. Then we can follow it up to the lake."

"I would rather don't go to the lake." Daisuke and Alice said, causing the man to frown. They shared a brief look, with the storyteller continuing. "We've had issues in that general area. It's crawling with Sirens. And if they possess the same ability as Charlotte, they might be on high alert."

"We need water." the Mexican boy said, glancing at the others. "A few dinky bottles isn't going to carry us for the rest of the night. Our best bet of finding supplies is heading to the City like we originally planned. But we need to take some risks."

"I dunno about that Diego. Look at us," Alice said, sighing. She brushed some hair over her shoulder, her eyes focusing on the map. "We could very well find supplies in that city, and that would be beneficial. But would it be worth the risk? We've got a minotaur after us, not to mention that abomination is still out there, and who knows what else."

"I don't have that many bullets left either," Daisuke added, checking the magazine in his pistol, seeing he only had 9 rounds left. "We can't stay here, but we also can't jump the gun."

The man nodded, rubbing his eyes for a moment. He remained silent as if pondering something. It was perhaps a minute later when he turned around, a hearty laugh escaping his lips. "You two are frightened, little children. If we are facing an enemy, then let us wage war on them before they get the advantage on us!"

"What are you saying?" Alice exclaimed, glaring at the man. "You would be a fool to go out there when that minotaur is still on the prowl!"

"Alice, that's not Diego right now." the storyteller said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked him over, sighing when she realized what was going on.

"The Prince of Dim Carcosa I take it?"

"Indeed, I must say for a very small woman, you have quite a lot of tricks up your sleeve. However, you also carry with you some heavy trauma. If you wish to succeed in this game, then you must let go of your baggage. Otherwise, it will be your undoing."

"Small? I am not small you louse!"

"Mmm… no you aren't, in fact, you are quite big in many aspects." the prince said, lecherously staring at the veterinarian. Daisuke sighed, snapping his fingers before him.

"Can we focus here? You want us to 'wage war' or whatever the fuck you claim is a good idea. Then if you think we should leave, what exactly do you want us to do?"

"Leave at night of course. When was the Trojan Horse delivered to the enemy army? At night, when did the soldiers hiding within strike? When everyone was asleep. If you two are worried about that abomination and the minotaur, then wait for them to be at their weakest to move. We rest now, and when the sun has gone down, that is when we strike." Prince said firmly. Daisuke and Alice shared a look, giving him a nod.

"Alright… we leave at night. 3 AM, no later than that. I'm sure one of us has a timepiece we can use to keep track of time. For now, let's just focus on resting." the man said firmly.

"I'll relay the news to the others, Daisuke plot a course for us, would you? I know that you don't want to lead or anything. However I would feel comfortable if you plotted it for me, rather than someone else." she said, earning a nod from the man.

"Consider it done Allie, we'll talk soon," he said, reaching into his bag for his storybook. He reached around for a moment, pulling out a pen. As he did though, something hooked onto his hand, falling out onto the floor. A soft shattering filled the air, causing the Prince to jump slightly.

"Puñeta," he said softly, as he knelt before the broken pieces of ceramic. Prince quirked a brow as he looked at it.

"A mask? Why do you have something like that with you?"

"It wasn't mine." Daisuke swiftly said, grabbing the pieces and shoving them in his bag. "It belonged to my cousin Anna. Well… she gave this one to me, and I gave her one. The last time visited her, she gave me the other half. I was planning on returning to her once I left the island but… that's not gonna happen."

"Perhaps you could glue it back together?" the man suggested.

"Yeah… maybe. I'll focus on that later, for now, I've got work to do."

* * *

**Location: Cavern**

**Time: 5:54 PM**

**Date: August 12, 2020**

Miya sighed as she poked the fire with her stick, causing the flames to once again come to life. Eris waited for a few moments before throwing a log into the flames, the crackling started to fill the cavern, as the fire kept roaring, consuming the log for sustenance. The Missing Persons Investigator sat back, picking at her braids with a bored expression on her face. Normally, she'd be playing on her DS, however, due to the simulation, her items had been taken from her. Even if they hadn't she was sure the device would have died sooner or later. She felt her stomach start rumbling and placed a hand over it, trying to hide her displeasure.

"So uh… anyone have any campfire songs to sing?" Reukra asked, looking around the cavern. There were only a few people sitting around the fire. Lars was far away from the group, sitting back against a flat rock, reading his precious tome. Riku was a bit closer to the fire but hadn't spoken to anyone since leaving the simulation.

Everyone else had split into smaller groups. Diego, Alice, and Daisuke were still planning their route, and Kanemoto was busy consoling Bethany, though, by the looks of it, it seemed as if Bethany was consoling Kanemoto. Haruna was sitting next to the boy, her hand visibly in her grasp, while Charlotte was a bit further away from the fire, due to her not wanting to suffocate from the heat. The boy sighed, shaking his head. "I'll take that as a no then."

It was silent for a few moments. Miya had finally decided to tear into her only power bar, which she had been saving. The hunger was getting far too much for her to handle. She would only eat half of it and save it for later. Yes, that was her plan. She took a bite out of it, sighing contently when she got a taste of granola and chocolate.

"Have you ever found yourself masturbating to pictures of your mom when she was a teenager?" Shiro suddenly said, causing Miya to choke. She started coughing loudly, hitting her chest as she forced the power bar in her throat down. The executioner looked around for a few moments, getting wide-eyed glances from the others. Even Daisuke, Diego and Alice had stopped what they were doing. "No? Just me?"

"What the fuck kind of way to start a conversation is that?" Eris asked, a look of disbelief on her face. "I mean Jesus Christ, I had 5,000 different topics, but that was not one of them."

"Ah… but it got us talking didn't it?" Shiro said. Eris rose a finger, opening her mouth to counter, but quickly lowered it. Her snakes hissed loudly, bunching up behind the back of her neck. They didn't seem to like the smoke, something that she was both happy and disappointed in.

"Perhaps we can discuss something of interest," Miyaki said, glancing at Lars who had been mildly amused by the conversation. "Like how you ended up killing Ethan on the Titanic."

"Why the hell would we want to discuss that?" the pale man asked, snapping his book closed. He turned to face them, a look of disinterest on his face. "He was a mole, wasn't he? I did all of us a favor. By getting rid of the rogue element, we have our sanity and our privacy."

"You didn't have to shoot him!" Dalila snapped, glaring at the man in anger. "Let us not forget, you also chased us down the Grand Staircase because you wanted to kidnap Seisha. You almost killed Diego, you shot Reukra in the arm!"

"Wait what?" Daisuke said, turning around. He looked at the group, a questioning look on his face. "What do you mean he shot Reukra?"

"Didn't Diego tell you?" the dryad asked, causing him to shake his head. She sighed, glancing at Diego who stepped up before his friend.

"I apologize, Lila. But it wasn't the right time to discuss something like that, we were suffering heavy losses at that point. Not only that, we didn't exactly have the chance to discuss it at length." the man replied. Diego then looked at Lars, who still had a look of amusement on his face. "I take it you think this was all funny?"

"Of course it was. You all thought it was real… as if you were going to literally die there. Do you actually believe Jibo Momota would have let us all die?"

"Obviously!" Mackenzie snapped. "Hikaru and Ren died you asshole, and so did Ashton! He clearly had no reservations of letting us live or die on that ship!"

"They drew the short end of the stick. Had they done the same thing that I did, they would have lived. You have to be aggressive in this life, that's why I'm still alive and they aren't. Even Mariana understood that that's why she fought for her life on that lifeboat."

"Do not compare me to you." the woman hissed, venom lacing her words. She forced herself to stand up, placing a hand on her hips. Her eyes glowed brightly, pupils turned into thin slits. "I did what I did so that I would live because that's what Ashton would have wanted. Meanwhile, you ended up taking a life. Not just that, because of you, people in that simulation died!"

"Emphasis on simulation. It was just that, so why does it matter, those people were NPCs. If you had been keeping your wits and not falling to your own delusions, you wouldn't have been affected." he said, chuckling. "I may not have fully remembered the ship was going to sink, but at least I kept my cool until the very end, something that no one managed to do."

"So, it all results to Lars being a dickhead, how am I not surprised?" Daisuke asked, frowning. "Normally I wouldn't care, but we lost people because of your actions. Sure, Ethan was a mole but he had information that could have helped us. You jumped the gun. And the fact that you shot Reukra as well really pisses me off." the man said firmly, as he shortened the distance between them. The shorter man chuckled.

"What are you going to do? You going to put on a mask and slaughter me?" he asked, quirking a brow. Daisuke's eyes narrowed, causing the man to grin a toothy grin. "Oh… you've got nothing to say?"

"I'm not going to say anything about Ethan's death. I could care less at this moment, karma's a bitch and he had it coming. Hell… I am willing to put what happened during the second class trial behind us too. However, there is something that you have to pay." he said, slamming his knee into the man's testicles, causing him to fall onto the ground."That's for choking Nico you fucker." he said, grabbing a hold of the man's jacket, pulling his fist back.

"Daisuke don't!" Charlotte cried, causing the man to stop. He met the fierce look in her eyes, causing him to drop the man. He looked back at him, spitting in his face.

"Saved by the siren… you are lucky that she told me to stop because I wouldn't have. Next time you even think about doing something like that, I will give you a beating you won't soon forget."

Daisuke stepped away from the demonologist, walking back toward the map where he was plotting their course.

"Well, if we're going to continue the disgusting actions people took on that ship, I think we should move onto our resident neko," Bethany said, shifting her gaze towards Riku, who barely even moved at the sound of her voice. "My sister wasted what little time she had left trying to inspire you to head to a lifeboat, and all you did was sit there and drink."

"Nessa did the same, now that I think about it," Charlotte said, shifting her gaze towards the man. "She was genuinely trying to save your life, and how did you repay her? By slapping her across the face. You asshole… you should have died on that ship."

"I should have died on that ship, then I would be with Ibb." the man said, having spoken his first words in hours. "I would have been happy to have gone down with the ship if I had gone down with her."

"It boggles my mind that someone managed to fall in love with someone in the span of four days and then react like this," Shiro said, shaking her head. "Seriously, at least Dais and Charlotte have gotten to know each other and have spent time since day one. Reukra and Haruna have been hanging out and going on dates. You didn't even express an ounce of love for her beforehand. I have no idea how you feel attached to her."

"Oh you wouldn't understand you second rate hooker." the neko spat, causing Shiro to gasp. He balled his fists tightly. "You think you know love, but you don't! None of you fucking know how it is to lose a loved one! None of you! So keep your whore mouth shut, you fucking dike!"

"You shut your fucking mouth!" Alice snapped, causing the man to jump at her sudden volume. She took a few brisk steps toward him, standing before him. "Don't you dare sit there and insult someone who has done nothing to you! Oh, you lost the one you love, whoop-de-doo. But don't you sit there and claim that none of us know what that feels like!"

"Tch… she's right." Nyx said, joining her friend. "Alice lost her boyfriend in her last killing game, she had to watch him die up there. Let's not forget that was also the game where Daisuke lost Hiyoko. You don't see him bitching and moaning about having lost her. In fact, the two of them have moved on, while you are acting like a little shit!"

"HEY, FUCK YOU!" Riku shouted, forcing himself to his feet. "I can feel whatever the fuck I want to feel. Who the fuck are you to tell me what I can and cannot feel huh? You stupid bitch!"

Nyx's hand snapped forward, slapping the neko across the face. The halfling glared into his eyes, holding him completely in place with her telekinetic power. "Don't you ever yell at me like that again, is that understood? If you want to feel sorry for yourself, then do it. However don't you use Ibb's death as a means to insult people."

"Nyx put him down!" Daisuke cried, causing the girl to drop the boy. He crawled away from her, shivering as he burst into tears.

"God, I've never met someone so damn useless in my entire life. And that's saying a lot coming from an AIDS patient. One that spent her days stuck in a goddamned bed."

"It's okay to grieve… believe me, I'm doing the same right now. I lost my mom, the only rock I had left in my life. But turning that grief into anger isn't the answer, Riku. Just talk to us about it, we'll be here to help." Reukra said, giving him a smile.

"No… I'm not… I can't…" he said, laying down on the ground, back facing them. "Just leave me alone."

"Fuckin prick," Shiro mumbled under her breath, she crossed her arms, turning her face away from the man. "Rika Nyan Nyan is just being a silly kitty cat. He needs to get sprayed in the face with a spray bottle, that way he'll stop being a bad kitty."

"We all need to be nice to each other! Mr. Riku is just sad because he lost his best friend, if I lost my Mr. Bitey, I think I would be upset too!" Seisha said, holding his plushy lovingly in his grasp. He had Salimba in his other hand, having been peacefully playing with both. "I would be super sad if anyone of you went away… because then I would have no friends!"

"Oh Seisha, you sweet sweet boy." Dalila said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Miya let out an audible sigh, a look of boredom on her face.

"Is something the matter Miya?" Bethany asked curiously. "Are you bored?"

"Heck yeah, I am. I would usually be working a case, or trying to chain breed Pokemon, but I lost my DS. I've literally got nothing to do right now." she said. The Pele nodded, looking around for a second, frowning.

"I wish I hadn't lost my guitar… I feel like a few songs would help us relax. I've got several songs from back in Kuikawa Island."

"Oh… spare us your pagan music and your hymns praising a false god. All of us could do without any of that bullshit." Lars said, only to be ignored.

"Maybe we can talk about our family or something?" Miya asked, sighing. "We haven't gotten to know each other, and I feel comfortable with you all. I guess I can explain to you all how I got the talent of S-Class Missing Persons Investigator."

"Yay! I love story time!" Shiro said, placing her face in her hands. Miya rolled her eyes, but continued with her story.

"Well… it isn't that interesting. My father, Hayate, is a detective. My mom died during childbirth so I never met her. Daddy couldn't take care of me and go to work at the same time, so he often times brought me to work." she said, smiling. "I started paying attention to what he was doing and developed a sort of sense. Whenever he couldn't solve a case, I would just look it over to see if there were any clues."

"Hmm… you know that reminds me of someone else. You mentioned wanting to be like that famous forensic investigator right?" Miyaki asked curiously. She narrowed her eyes. "What was her name… Saiko Yonebayashi?"

"Kobayashi." Miya happily corrected stars in her eyes. "She's my idol, I met her a few times when she was still in high school. She's so gung-ho about everything that she does. But when she's got a day off, she's a totally different person. I remember she and my dad got into so many arguments, and she'd always tell him to F off. He would buy her a pizza and he would be automatically forgiven."

"I would kill for a pizza right now," Mackenzie said, poking at the fire with a stick. She cleared her throat when she noticed the others staring. "M-metaphorically of course!"

"Nah, Calzones are where it's at yo!" Kanemoto said, stretching her arms above her head. She had taken off her jacket, having laid it down beside her. Her tank top was pulled rather tightly over her chest, causing a few of the guys to stare, though, with Reukra, one look from Haruna told him he was looking for far too long. "Me and my girl can eat an entire calzone in ten minutes!"

"Aw, you have a girlfriend?" Miyaki asked, a smile on her face. "That's so cute! What's her name?"

"Hmm? Oh, her name Rin… I call her Rinrin though, she calls me her little Pokemon Trainer, even though I'm taller and bustier than her." the brunette said, grinning. "She's such a sweetheart, but if you piss her off, she will hate you. Like truly hate you, she has this icy glare that will freeze you in place. I've grown used to it, but getting it for the first time ugh… I get shivers thinking about it."

"I think you gave Ashton your glare on the Titanic." Eris said, narrowing her eyes. "Yeah you did, when he stole your crab cake. How did you perfect that? Was it because of your girlfriend?"

"Yep, it kinda gets drilled into your head." she said, bursting into giggles right after. "Drill...ha, she wears her hair in twin drills." she said, sighing. Her mirth turned into sadness, however, as she leaned back against the wall. "I miss her a lot, she's my everything… If I make it out of this island, I'm going to ask her to marry me."

"Can I be the best woman then?" Shiro asked, holding her hand out. Kanemoto rolled her eyes, giving her a nod.

"Sure, you can be my best woman, and Mackenzie can be the bridesmaid, how does that sound?"

"Ugh… I can't believe we're just sitting here wasting time, talking about pointless shit." Lars said, crossing his arms, his interest in his book gone. "With each passing day, I realize just how useless all of you are."

"Well what about your big shot, you claim to be hot shit but you can't share anything with us. Are you truly a paragon or are you a sad excuse of a man, cowering behind the mask he's carefully crafted?" Mariana spat, glaring at the man. He scoffed looking away from them.

"I've got nothing to share with any of you. Besides, the exploits of Lars Weyer are for his eyes and ears alone."

"Translation, I'm a cry baby loser who sat in my mom's basement until I grew bitter with myself." Shiro said, giggling. "Man, what a loser!"

"Shiro, maybe you shouldn't." Daisuke said, finally joining the others. Alice and Diego took their seats around the fire, with the former sitting next to Nyx while the latter sat next to Dalila, giving her a peck on the lips.

"Hehehehe… I mean… I guess you aren't wrong there. By your human terms, I might be a loser, but by my terms, I am quite the intriguing character. I was once a champion gamer, spending my free time schooling mongoloids on the Call of Duty servers. What little time I had between games, I spent sifting through 4chan. And talking to that idiot Japoka."

"Japoka? Why do I feel like I know that name?" Nyx asked, brows knit in thought.

"Well if you've spent any time on the internet, you'll know who she is. Japoka is the most annoying woman to have ever existed on this planet. I have no idea if she is truly smart or truly idiodic. Her theories are the most retarded pile of dribble I have had the displeasure of reading. I mean Jesus Christ, if there was someone I disliked most in this world, it's that little pile of shit." the demonologist spat, grinding his teeth in anger.

"Aw, sounds to me like Lars had a little crush on this Japoka girl!"

"You can go die in a sewer." the man spat, turning away from the conversation. "I tire of this chat, goodnight to you all. Perhaps when I reawaken, you will all be dead." he said, giving them a wave as he lay down on the ground, preparing to go to sleep.

"He's got the right idea, as much as I hate to admit it." Diego said, looking around the group. He shared a look with Alice, who gave him a nod. "We're going to be leaving at 3 AM. Our idea is basically this, if we leave at night, those creatures will likely be asleep or at least a little less active."

"We've planned our course extensively. We're going to head back to the river, once we reach the Siren's Lake, we're going to walk around the outskirts of it and head to the city."

"We're going back to that siren infested lake?" Charlotte cried, shuddering a bit. "I don't know about you, but I don't think we should go back there."

"But we need water Charlie, you aren't going to last much longer if we don't have the means to keep your gills wet." Daisuke said, taking a hold of her hand. He gave her a small smile. "After what we've been through, I think dealing with a few pissed off sirens will be the least of our worries."

"I-" she sighed, giving him a nod. "You're right… if I don't get more water, I don't think I'll make it. But this time, let's just… stick to walking, instead of using a boat?" she asked. Daisuke nodded, giving her a firm kiss on the lips, having taken a hold of her hands.

"Then let's go to sleep. I'll volunteer for the first watch, Reukra, Haruna could you care for second shift?" Diego asked, earning a nod from the couple.

"Well gladly do it, Shiro, Mackenzie would you care to go after us?" Reukra asked, earning a thumbs up from Shiro, who was starting to fall asleep.

"Just wake us up when it's our turn okay?" the painter asked, earning a nod from the two.

"Alright, sleep well you guys. We'll make it out of this just fine, trust me." the man said. Even though he was smiling, Diego wasn't exactly confident in his own words.

* * *

** Location: Cavern**

**Time: 2:50 AM**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

Shiro sighed as she stared at the fire. The 3rd shift had started at 1:45 in the morning, so she had the responsibility of watching over everyone until then. Things had been quiet since arriving at the cave. Other than the audible 'Hoothoot' that could be heard echoing through the forest, accompanied by the flapping of wings. The fauna was definitely more active at night. As per request, she had been given Daisuke's FN 5/7, if only to preserve her own sanity.

Mackenzie had been doodling on the nearby wall, but her tiredness had beaten her, and she had fallen asleep 45 minutes into the shift. Shiro didn't mind, she would rather let her friend sleep and handle the watch herself. She figured Haruna and Reukra had spent the entire time making out, at least she could tell that from the flush on their faces.

Often times, she wished she had someone like that in her life. Someone who she could mess with, someone with who she could share the truth with. The truth that Shiro Hayashi wasn't a girl, she was in fact born a man. It was hard to keep appearances, at least it had been in her old town. With these guys, he was capable of keeping them fooled for a long time. Though she was sure someone was going to catch on eventually. He was going to tell them eventually, but she figured she could milk it for as long as she could. He sighed, sitting up straight and looking around for a moment.

"Goddamn it, I'm so fucking bored."

Of course, Shiro liked to keep her mind occupied. Needlepoint usually did the trick but without the right materials, her mind wandered, and when it wandered… well, odd things happened. Her golden eyes, usually full of mischief, were now filled with stress and boredom. She looked around for a moment, locking eyes with a few of the couples. Reukra had fallen asleep with his face buried in Haruna's lap. She couldn't help but giggle.

"He's getting a whiff of that muff, lucky him. I wonder if she shaves? Maybe she's one of those old school girls who like to keep the bush? Maybe she shaves around her lips? I'd kill to see that." she thought, shaking away her thoughts. The hostess had a serene smile on her face, her fingers buried deep in Reukra's hair. Shiro's gaze shifted towards the other couple across the cave.

She sighed, frowning slightly as she watched Daisuke and Charlotte sleep. The pink-haired siren was hugging him tightly. The man was sleeping contently, his cheek resting right on her breasts. It made her jealous, especially because she was supposed to be the one hugging Daisuke. She wanted him.

She hated herself for having fallen for the storyteller. But even if she confessed her feelings to the man, she knew he wouldn't reciprocate her feelings. Not just that, the fact that she was actually a he was no doubt going to be a turn-off. It was very clear that the Spaniard was not into men. It was why she kept the whole girl persona for as long as she did. She thought that maybe her cuteness would win him over. She wasn't expecting for Charlotte to make her move during the Titanic motive. Hell, she hadn't been expecting Mackenzie of all people to actually kiss the man.

Just what was it that made girls swoon over him? He wondered.

It was hilarious… Especially because she herself had fallen for his wiles, and that made her angry. She forced herself to stand up, walking away from the fire pit, clutching the gun tightly in her grasp. She moved towards the back of the cave, their designated 'pissing pot' of sorts. Thankfully no one had needed to use the crapper, because that would have been a bad time. Once she had gone around the corner, behind the large rock, she lifted her skirt, preparing to take a leak.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She glanced around the corner of the rock, noticing the others were still sound asleep. She licked her lips, focusing on Daisuke and Charlotte. She had to admit, Charlotte was pretty hot too, Shiro wouldn't mind burying her cock between those delicious tits. Shiro felt herself start to get hard.

"Fuck it, It's been days since I've jacked off and hell knows I need it!"

She leaned back against the stone, lifting her skirt slightly. Spitting on her hand as she grabbed a hold of her throbbing erection. She spread the spit around her shaft, waking it up a bit as the blood started flowing. She grit her teeth as she started pumping her length, her breathing hitching as she continued glancing at the sleeping couple.

"Oh fuck… I wanna bury my dick in those tits so badly. Daisuke already claimed her pussy back in the simulation, she must be so soft." Shiro thought as she picked up the pace. It wasn't long until she was fully pumping her dick, her fingernails digging into the stone as she continued jerking off.

"Hgn… I'm so close! I wanna shoot my load all over their faces!" she screamed in her mind, as she felt the knot in her stomach building.

"Shiro? Are you over here?" Mackenzie called out, causing Shiro to scream. She tried masking it with a scream or surprise, at least until she orgasmed, several streams of cum shooting forward. The rocky ground in front of her was dotted with several globs of milky white cream. She panted for a bit, peeking her head slightly from the rock.

"I uh… I'm peeing!"

"Oh… uh… well, I'm sorry. Do you need something to wipe with? I got some tissues."

"No… no, I'm fine! I uh… brought my own hehe!" Shiro said, brushing her off. "You start waking up the others, I'll be right out!" she said cheerfully. Mackenzie gave her a nod, returning to the others. Shiro sighed, glancing down at her pulsing erection, the head still dripping with cum.

"If I don't get laid soon, I'm going to fucking lose my shit!"

* * *

**Location: The Woods, Hora Island**

**Time: 4:00 AM**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

"Hey, Kenzie… what's uh… what's wrong with Shiro?" Daisuke asked as he stepped up next to the painter. The girl yawned, shaking her head.

"I'm not sure, she's been acting weird since we left the cave. She handed me your gun to give to you and it was kind of sticky."

"Sticky you say?" the storyteller asked, shuddering. "Uh… maybe it was from the power bar she was eating."

"That was my guess too." she replied, rubbing her eyes. "I really wish I had some coffee… whenever I stayed up late writing, I would always have a mug of coffee with me."

"Same here, I always stayed up late inking whatever I wrote. I liked to make everything look as professional as possible. That's why I hand wrote my manuscripts in book format. Finding books that were big enough was awful. I often times had to get my orders custom made."

"It's a pain in the ass." the blonde murmured, shoving her hands in her pockets. "You know what else is a pain in the ass, finding things for left-handed people. I mean come on, why not have some left-handed can openers? Did left-hand books? That's why I could never get into music. I needed a left-handed guitar just to learn how to play. It's so annoying!"

"Wait, you're a lefty too?" Daisuke asked, earning a nod from Mackenzie, who gave him a smile.

"I can't believe I never noticed you were a lefty. Then again I haven't seen you write that much!"

"I've been too busy to write sadly, but I've been keeping a daily log of our happenings. However, the days that we spent in that simulation are going to be hard. I don't exactly have the time to write that at the moment."

"I um… I can help you if you want." Kenzie said, looking at the floor. "I might as well help you out, I sort of owe you for what happened on the ship. The kiss and all."

"Sweetie, I've already forgiven you for that. If you wanna help that's fine, I have some spare sheets of paper. You can keep a journal and I'll write it in my book once we settle down. In fact… I think when we reach town, I'll get you your own bag. You can be my little helper. How does that sound?" he asked. She gasped, eyes lighting up as she feverishly nodded.

"After we leave Hora Island, do you think we could work on a book together? You write the story I'll do the art?" she asked. Daisuke gave her a smile, grinning.

"Definitely!"

"This is stupid." Riku mumbled, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Why the fuck are we Mickey Mousing this shit? Can't we just find a place to hole out and wait until morning?"

"What's wrong Rika? I thought cats enjoyed going on the prowl at night!" Shiro said teasingly, pinching his cheek. "Or is it that the pussy in you is starting to come out?"

Riku snapped her hand away from his face, glaring deep into her eyes. "Don't you dare fucking touch me, you fucking bitch!"

"Hey, Riku, would you mind not being a useless piece of shit and actually shut your mouth? I'd really fuckin appreciate it," Mariana said, glaring at the man. "If all you are going to do is glower and sulk, then stay in the middle where you can't do anything. If not, pick up a fucking rock or a stick and shut up."

"Can we not? It's late and we don't want to attract unwanted attention right now." Dalila scolded, separating the two. "Mariana, just keep looking forward okay? Don't let him bother you. Shiro, stop teasing Riku, and you… stop acting like a douche bag. It isn't helping your case, if what you are looking for is a pity, then we aren't going to give it to you."

"Tch… stupid tree bitch, I hope someone kills her next." the man thought as he zipped his lip and looked forward. Daisuke sighed, scanning around the area with his gun for a moment. Alice tugged on his shirt, causing him to look down.

"We need to talk about Riku." she spoke softly, briefly glancing at the neko. She turned her gaze forward, clutching the thick tree branch in her hands. "He's becoming a bit of a problem."

"I know, part of me says that it's because of Ibb's death but, something tells me that isn't it. It's as if he's a changed person."

"The simulation really screwed with his head." Diego spoke, joining the two. He closed his eyes for a moment, before glancing back at the sky. "Out of everyone here, he was the one that experienced 'true reality' in there. To him, it felt like all of that was real. So when Ibb was executed, I fear that his mind may have been broken."

"You think that, as a result of the program, he's acting like this?" the veterinarian asked curiously. She tugged on a strand of hair, resting the branch on her shoulder. "It would make sense… Jibo Momota was experimenting with neurotechnology when we were in the Space Station. I wouldn't put it past him to have done something to his mind while we were in there."

"Shit, I was hoping that wasn't the case. The last thing we need is someone else like the Prince skulking among us." Diego said softly. Daisuke glanced back at Riku, sighing.

"I get that he lost someone important to him but… why is he acting that way?"

"He seems to bristle whenever someone calls him useless. Perhaps that is a trigger word?" Sparkling Justice said, startling the man slightly.

"I would have thought you were a figment of my imagination while in the simulation."

"I am a part of your boy. You created me, we now share the same body. I am just a repressed personality. One day, I will take control, mayhaps that time will be soon?"

"I fucking hope not."

"You hope what?" Alice asked. Daisuke remained silent, looking ahead.

"Just talking to myself Allie, don't worry about a thing."

She gave him a look of concern but said nothing as they continued walking forward. She licked her dry lips, trying not to focus on her thirst. "I wonder where they took them… the hostages I mean? And the surviving ghosts."

"Knowing Jibo, he's got plans for all of them. And I am not looking forward to knowing what those plans might be." The Mexican boy replied.

"Ugh… this leg is so heavy." Miyaki mumbled as she walked. She glanced down at the bionic appendage she had been given. It functioned like the real thing, except for the fact that she didn't feel any pain when she hit. It was connected to what remained of her upper leg and thigh, the flesh melding perfectly with the metal.

"What's wrong Kiki? Did you get used to your actual leg in that simulation?" Nyx asked curiously. The blonde gave her a nod, not replying vocally. "I see… it was really weird seeing you like a normal person in there. I got so used to seeing your stitches and your metal leg. You looked really pretty in there… not that you don't look pretty out here or anything."

"Thanks, I guess?" the circus performer said, not knowing her to reply. She continued walking, deciding not to dwell on it.

"Hey Miyaki, I have a question for you." Miya asked, grabbing the taller girl's attention. "Do you… you know… sweat?"

"I beg your pardon?" the blonde asked, tilting her head to the side. Miya pressed her fingers together.

"It's just that… since you were a corpse and all, and you came back to life, you are kinda like a zombie! That means there are parts of your body that don't work, including sweat glands!"

"No! That's not how it works!" she cried in embarrassment, her cheeks tinging read. "I'm sweating right now, my forehead is drenched in it, and so are my boobs. You don't even want me to life my arms up."

"Ew." Eris mumbled, her snakes hissing loudly. "Why the hell are we talking about bodily functions?"

"It's part of my forensic investigation of course!" Miya said proudly. "Miss Saiko once said, that bodies release all of the fluids as they decompose. So I was wondering if Miyaki still had sweat glands!"

"She's 100% alive Miya. Her heart is beating and she feels hot to the touch, not just that… when she woke up, she was in a pod. I can only assume that had some sort of revival tech." Diego said.

"Okay but… she was dead for a few months, right? That means that her body was decomposing before she got turned into Miyakistein!"

"I do not like that nickname." the girl snapped, only to be ignored by the Missing Persons Investigator.

"So following that logic, that means she shouldn't behave like real humans. Not just that, but as we saw with Nico, Sayaka and the others, they were turned into ghosts. Meaning the ghost that is left behind is the human soul. If we follow Kingdom Hearts logic-"

"Kingdom Hearts logic? What is she talking about?" Kanemoto mumbled, earning a shrug from Mariana, who continued marching forward.

"-That means that the body left behind was turned into the heartless! No, wait… Miyaki is a nobody! No… that isn't right either." the girl said, scratching her chin. "Oh! She's just like Danny Phantom!"

"Okay… now she's lost me." Haruna said, clearly confused. Reukra narrowed his eyes in thought, a gasp leaving his lips.

"I get it! Miyaki isn't a Frankenstein at all! She's a ghost possessing its own body! That means that Miyaki has ghost powers!"

"I have ghost powers?" Miyaki asked, quirking a brow. She shrugged her shoulders, arms crossed. "Hell, if that was the case then I would have floated my ass off this island. What powers do I have? Can I shoot ectoplasm out of my nose?"

"Probably, maybe you can shoot it from your hands!" the duplicator cried out.

"Maybe she can shoot it from her cooter." Lars spat, as he turned a page in his book. He was looking off to the sides, keeping an eye out for Andras, who had been following them at a distance.

"You are just a breath of fresh air, aren't you?" Alice asked, causing the man to grin.

"Of course I am."

"More like a fart… he's a breath of fresh smog, from downtown New Delhi." Diego said, causing Alice to giggle.

"Har-har-har… there will come a day when you will need my help, and I won't be there to give it."

"Neither will you, if you keep talking the way you are. You'll probably get ripped apart by some fucked up creature out here." Bethany said. Lars grumbled, muttering things about 'Pagans' and 'Big Breasted Bimbos'

"Hmm… hey, if Kiki doesn't have sweat glands, does that mean she has lubrication glands? You know, down stairs?" Shiro asked curiously.

"WHAT?" the girl screeched, loudly enough to scare a few nocturnal birds. Kanemoto looked up at the flock of crows, eyes widening.

"No… fucking way… those are Murkrow!" she cried out. She continued following them with her eyes, almost screeching when she spotted a golden one. "No way… a real-life shiny Pokemon, I am so gonna get it!" she said, reaching into her bag for a spare capsule. Daisuke sighed, shaking his head.

"Honestly, if this wasn't Hora Island, I would have a hard time believing this shit was happening for real." he said. The Pokemon trainer let out a cry of frustration as she threw the Pokeball and missed the bird entirely, scaring it off deeper into the woods.

"Pfft… I guess she really doesn't know how to pitch balls worth shit. It makes sense now, why she's a lesbian. Since she keeps fumbling balls and such." Riku said jokingly, rubbing his nose. Kanemoto grabbed the Pokeball she had dropped, spinning around. She lifted her leg, almost parallel with her body, before pitching the ball forward, striking the Neko directly in the forehead.

"Oho… Dayum!" Shiro cried, holding back her giggles.

"Word of advice asshole, don't fuck with me. I was in the little league baseball team growing up. And I do mean baseball, not softball. So don't you dare think you'll get away with making comments like that."

"Stupid bitch… I'm glad you are a lesbian! No man would want to fuck you anyway!" the neko cried, rubbing the goose egg forming on his forehead. Kanemoto chuckled, shaking her head.

"Actually buddy boy, I could think of several guys that I would gladly let screw me. Hell, I would even give Lars a turn over you. I bet you have a micropenis too, poor 'widdle Riku'." the girl said, giggling. "It makes me wonder, did Ibb die without seeing your dick? Or did she see it and die of laughter?"

"You…. you take that back you fucking whore!" Riku shouted, flicking his hands downward. Several sharp claws emerged from between his knuckles as he glared at the woman. "Take it back, take it back!"

"What… what the fuck are you? I thought you were a kitty cat, not a fucking wolverine!" Shiro cried out, backing away from the young man. Riku took several strides forward, stomping as he walked. Kanemoto reached for one of her Pokeballs, throwing it into the air. With a snap, Greninja took the field, ready to protect the young woman.

"I apologize for making that comment alright? It was insensitive of me."

"I don't give a fuck! I'm going to teach you not to fuck with me!"

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!"

"Nin~"

Before either could attack, Mariana jumped between the two, a feral growl leaving her lips. Wings had sprouted from her back, along with a lengthy draconic tail. She was still in her human form, but her Dragon Stone was glowing brightly as if she was prepared to turn into a dragon at a moments notice. She held her hands out, large orbs of fire magic swirling between them.

"Stop this, both of you!" she cried, her voice sounding angry and two-toned. "We are supposed to be friends, and friends do not argue. Kanemoto, you should know not to make a comment like that. And Riku, for fuck sakes man, stop acting like a goddamned child."

"Me? Acting like a child? You have got to be kidding me. She insulted my dead girlfriend!"

"Listen to me." Mariana said, shortening the distance between them. Riku slashed at her, causing her to back away.

"Riku, what the fuck?!" Daisuke shouted, about to pin the man down. Mariana shot forward with a single beat of her wings, grabbing him by the throat, squeezing hard.

"You listen to me you worthless piece of shit. The next time you try to attack me, I will end you, is that understood?" she asked, earning a gurgle from the man as a reply. "I'm done dealing with your shit. I lost Ashton, I lost Felicks in there as well. Both of them were my friends and I am carrying on. I am not feeling sorry for myself at every turn and then using their deaths as a justification for my actions. You are acting like a fuck head. Someone needs to put you in your place, and it might as well be me." she said through her grit teeth. Riku reached for her wrist, slashing it with his claws, causing her to yelp in pain. She let him go, causing him to fall hard to the ground.

"You… bitch." he wheezed, as he tried to breathe.

"Guys, we are wasting time here. Stop with all of this kindergarten bullshit, we are almost to the lake, so let's keep going alright?" Daisuke cried, glaring at the two. Riku coughed loudly, as he forced himself to his knees.

"Who… who died and made you leader? Huh? It's because of you… that so many of us died… in that simulation." he spat angrily. Daisuke grit his teeth, taking several strides forward. Charlotte caught a hold of his arm.

"Daisuke… Daisuke don't!" she cried, only to be pushed back by the man, though thankfully she didn't fall. He flicked the safety off his gun, placing the barrel on Riku's forehead.

"Do you know how easy it would be to rid myself of you? I wouldn't even bat an eye… no one… and I mean no one would miss you."

"Daisuke!" Diego cried, to know avail. The man's aim didn't even shake as he continued pressing the gun to the neko's forehead.

"You say and do shit and use another person's death to justify your actions. I thought you would have outgrown this in the last few hours. But I was mistaken… another quip from you, another insult, and I will pull this trigger. Is that understood."

"Do it." Riku spat, grabbing a hold of the man's hand, pressing the gun further into his own skin. He pressed it so hard the threaded barrel left an indent in his flesh. "Do it, pull the trigger you fucking pussy. You know what will happen, a class trial will be held, no matter what you will die!"

"Daisuke, put that gun away dammit! Don't fucking do this, he's just baiting you!" Charlotte cried, pleading with the man. "Please, don't do this!"

"Don't listen to her Daisuke… come on, you and I know you want to. I can see it in your eyes. Do it, rid yourself of the useless freak. Rid yourself of the extra mouth you gotta feed, do it!"

Daisuke remained silent, his glare boring into Riku's eyes. When the neko realized he wasn't going to do anything, he laughed. "That's what I thought you fuckin-"

Click

The hammer clicked, but nothing happened. Riku remained silent as the storyteller pulled the gun away from his face. He sat back down on the ground, shaking like a leaf. He didn't say a peep, he just continued staring at the man who still held the gun. Daisuke turned around, retaking the lead of the group.

"Next time, I'll have a round in the chamber."

The others continued walking, not wanting to speak. Some were even shocked that Daisuke had pulled the trigger at all. But none were more shocked than Riku himself, who had not expected him to actually pull it. Mariana gave him a frown, before shooting into the sky, deciding to do an aerial survey. Shiro walked past the neko, giving him a pat on the head before going on her way. He grumbled and forced himself to stand up, walking on beat with the others.

"You my friend, have earned some massive respect. Here I thought you didn't have the cojones to actually pull it." Lars said, almost enthusiastic at what had happened. "Come on… why didn't you shoot him? Scared about the class trial?"

"Not really. After the last motive, I got enough tickets to skip the trial." the storyteller said, flashing the four silver tickets in his grasp. He had originally had two, but he had gotten one for being an MVP during the class trial as well as surviving the Titanic's sinking. But to compensate for that, Jibo had risen the requirement for a golden ticket, making it 10 tickets rather than five.

"Ooo… then why didn't you do it?"

"I didn't want to waste the bullet." the man said simply. Lars sighed, shaking his head.

"And here I thought you were becoming more interesting." he said, walking away from him. Diego frowned, crossing his arms in disdain.

"Why is it that people love the suffering of others?"

"I dunno man… I guess it's just part of life."

"Um… hey guys." Miya called out, causing a few of the others to stop. Having passed a medium-sized clearing, they had returned to a semi-forested area. The sounds of water were filling the air as they neared the river.

"Something wrong Miya?" Alice asked. The girl nodded, crossing her legs slightly.

"I gotta pee really bad, I can't hold it."

"Well… find a tree and go." Daisuke said, chuckling. The girl looked around for a moment, shaking her head.

"I'm scared… there are things out there. I don't want to get killed by Slenderman or Jackie Chan."

"Jackie Chan?" Mackenzie mumbled.

"Honestly, I'd be more scared of Chuck Norris." Bethany said with a shrug. Nyx rolled her eyes, walking through the group, giving the girl a smile.

"I'll go with you. I gotta pee so we might as well go as a pair."

"I uh… no, it's fine." Miya said, hooking her thumbs on the elastic of her panties. She pulled them down, squatting down. "I'll just go here."

"Jesus Christ, at least give us a heads up so we can turn around!" Miyaki cried out. Daisuke chuckled, earning a glare from Charlotte, causing him to immediately turn around. They all tried not to tune into the soft pitter-patter of the girl's steam.

"Well… I guess I've always wanted to witness a golden shower."

"Shiro! Now is not the time!" Dalila cried out, facepalming.

"Um… Dalila… where's Miya's wiener?" Seisha asked, causing the dryad to look at him. He had been watching the girl intently as she went. Miya just looked away, cheeks reddening as she tried to finish. "Do girls have it inside? Is that why she has that weird slit in the middle?"

"Fucking HELL!" Alice cried out. "Miya, the next time you gotta take a squirt would you mind finding a bloody tree? There are literally hundreds of them around!"

"Okay! Sheesh, I'm all done!" she said, using the inside of her shirt to pat herself dry. She quickly rose her panties, standing up straight. The flush never left her cheeks. "Let's just hurry up."

"Fine… but before we go, Nyx do you still have to go?" Daisuke asked, quirking a brow. The halfling stiffened in place, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I don't mind waiting a little longer if you really can't hold it."

"O-okay… I uh… I'll go too!" she said, grabbing onto the button of her shorts, pulling the zipper down.

"Find a tree!" the veterinarian cried out.

"O-oh right… I uh… I'll just hold it!" the girl said, flushing brighter as she redid her button. She took a few steps forward, bowing her head in shame.

"Does anyone else need to take a leak?" Diego asked, almost jokingly. When no one replied, he turned around. "Alright, let's keep moving."

They started moving forward, only for something to snap behind them. Daisuke was quick to raise his gun, pulling the slide back as he took aim. His eyes scanned the dark trees. He snapped his fingers, gesturing for Shiro and Eris to shine their flashlights to the sides of the treeline.

"What?" Charlotte asked, looking concerned.

"I heard something… it sounded really close." Bethany said, swallowing hard. Kanemoto clicked her tongue, causing Greninja to jump into the trees.

"It was probably a squirrel or some shit." Mariana said. The nearby bush rustled a bit, causing Daisuke to aim his gun at it. A second later, a fluffy white bunny hopped out, landing on the soft grass. It sniffed around for a moment, before taking notice of the group.

"Aw… it's a cute little bunny!" Miya said, approaching the creature.

"No don't! You don't know what the hell that thing could do!" Eris said, her snakes hissing loudly in response. "It could be a cute bunny, but then when it snags your attention, it'll chew your fucking face off!"

"Is that?" Alice paused, narrowing her eyes a bit. "Mr. Bon Bon?"

"Mr. Bon Bon?" Daisuke mumbled, looking back at the bunny, who seemed to be looking at Alice, almost as if it recognized her.

It hopped forward, about to jump into Miya's grasp when a large hoofed foot stomped on it, crushing it to death. Blood and brain matter shot from its ears and eye sockets as the foot grounded it into the mud. They all looked up, coming face to face with the angry minotaur from before. Before anyone could react, it swung its ax with all of its strength, cleaving Miya's head clean off her shoulders. Her body remained standing for a second before falling to the ground, blood pouring like a fountain out of her neck hole. Her hands and fingers were twitching, as her head fell beside the body. Her eyes moved around, wide and full of shock. The Minotaur let out a roar as it stomped her head, a sickening crunch filling their ears.

"Fucking asshole!" Daisuke shouted angrily, shooting at the Minotaur's face. The bullet struck its cheek, doing nothing more than pissing it off. It let out a roar as he lifted its ax, preparing to leave another person. He aimed it at Nyx, who was frozen in fear, soaked with Miya's blood. Alice grabbed a hold of her hand, pulling her back just in time for the ax to miss her, getting stuck in the ground.

"RUN!"

The group broke into a dead sprint, running away from the minotaur, who was busy pulling its ax free from the ground. Daisuke felt a deep-seeded rage boiling in his body. He wanted to go back, he wanted to kill that minotaur for ending Miya's life. But he knew if he did, he'd just be getting himself killed. He heard the flowing river nearby, knowing he was close to the lake. He grabbed a hold of Charlotte's hand, pulling her along. She was wheezing loudly, her gills trying and failing to bring oxygen to her lungs.

"You'll be fine! We're close to the city, come on!"

"I...I can't breathe!" she screamed. The man growled as he lifted her onto his back, holding her legs firmly against his sides.

"I'm not letting you die here, come on!"

The minotaur roared again, its thumping hoofsteps causing the ground to rumble. The group continued running for their lives, wondering if this night would be their last…

**xxx(End of Act 1)xxx**

**Surviving Test Subjects: 18**

**AN: Hello wonderful readers and welcome to Chapter 3! This chapter has been a long time coming and now I can present it to you in its full uncut glory. I know I've probably been hyping this chapter up but that's because this chapter is going to be a major turning point for our subjects. It's gonna be a long journey, that's for sure.**

**First, I would like to give a shoutout to BeansandLeaves (Red) for submitting Miya Ainara. It physically hurt me to write that scene with her, I was dreading this day since her number came up. Sadly, it had to be done. I do hope you all liked her for what little time we had her, and I wish I had had more time with her myself. Alas, despair waits for no one.**

**Whelp, this is it for now. The next update won't come until August 15th, the day I leave for my trip so you'll have to stew in the agonizing wait! Acts 2-6 have been written and 7 is being worked on. I'm ahead of schedule so I felt like posting this as a teaser of sorts. There are plenty of things to come so I hope you have your tissues ready, you'll need them! This chapter will have No Mercy, so don't expect any from me either. Sayonara!**


	34. C3 Act 2: No Mercy

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 3

Act 2: No Mercy

_**xxx**_

**Location: ?**

**Time: ?**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

For the first time in a while, Daisuke didn't awaken to Charlotte hanging over him. It had happened so many times that he had considered it commonplace. This time, however, was much different. He woke up to see nothing but dark steel looming above him. His legs hurt slightly, from the running he had been doing, but it was nothing he wasn't used to. His clothes were dampened with sweat and the rain that had started falling. He groaned as he forced himself to sit up, popping his back rather loudly. He noticed his discarded pistol laying beside him, and grabbed it, seeing the slide had locked back.

"Oh… right," he mumbled, memories of what had happened flashed through his head.

After the Minotaur had killed Miya, they had all run from it. Nyx and Lars had teamed up, using telekinesis and magic to try and slow it down, but the creature had powered through it. Even a well-timed screech from the halfling didn't seem to slow it down. He remembered having reached the lake, having thrown Charlotte into the water with all of his force. The girl had called out to him, but he had kept running, telling her they would meet up later. After that, he lost track of time, the only thing on his mind was surviving.

"Daisuke? Are you okay?" the voice of Miyaki asked, causing him to look forward. The circus performer was sitting up against the wall, a hand placed on her stomach. Her recently repaired leotard had a fresh gash on it, though thankfully she was fine. She had a look of fatigue on her face as if she hadn't slept for hours. He gave her a nod, looking around for a moment.

"Where… where are we?"

"A moving truck. We managed to make it to the city, but the minotaur knocked part of a building down. All of us split up remember? You lead us into this truck at the last minute." she said. He rubbed the back of his head, eyes closed as he tried to remember.

"Ah… right, yeah. Who else is with us?"

"Haruna, Shiro, and Mackenzie. The three of them are still asleep." she said, pointing to the girls who were at the very back of the truck. Mackenzie was hugging the hostess tightly, dried tear streaks visible on her pale cheeks. Shiro had a fire ax in her grasp, where she had grabbed it, neither of them knew. "What are we going to do now Dais? We're separated from the others, we weren't accounting for this to happen."

"I'm not sure sweetheart… we need to find a high place, get our bearings straight. Once we find a landmark, we'll head toward it. I'm sure Diego and the others will do the same." he said, forcing himself to his feet. This action caused the truck to jerk a bit, making Shiro shoot to her feet.

"AH! DIE MINOTAUR!" she shouted, slamming her ax into the side of the truck, wedging it into the metal. She panted for breath, eyes wide and full of fear. Daisuke cleared his throat, causing her to shift her gaze toward him. She pulled the ax free from the side of the truck, giving the storyteller a grin. "H-hey Dais! Good morning!"

"Shi, please be careful with that… we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt would we?" Mackenzie asked softly, holding back a yawn. She stretched her arms, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Alright Kenzie, I was just… dreaming of awful things, hehe."

"Did anyone see where Reukra went?" Haruna asked, a look of worry on her face. She looked seconds away from a panic attack. "I don't want anything to happen to him, I promised myself that I wouldn't!"

"Haru, listen to me. It'll be okay… he's a tough kid, he's going to be fine." Daisuke said, closing the distance between them. He placed his hands on her shoulders, looking directly into her eyes. She was shaking a bit, her face had gone pale. "You have to trust him okay? I'll take you to him, but you have to focus on us for now, can you do that?"

"I… yes," she said softly, bowing her head. "I can do that, sorry Daisuke… it's just… I'm really fond of him. He's become my best friend."

"I understand that, Reukra to you is what Charlotte is to me. I don't think I could go on without her, despite knowing her for a short amount of time. It goes to show just how much rapport you can build with someone during the course of a life and death situation."

"Not to shit in your cornflakes or anything, but what the fuck are we gonna do now?" Shiro asked curiously. During the moments Daisuke had been consoling Haruna she had opened the back of the truck. The group of 5 walked towards the edge of the truck, looking around.

They were in a city, that much was obvious. It was far larger than they had expected, the buildings around them seemed to be made out of brick and mortar. The road looked paved, and some buildings had neon signs attached to the outside. Bright red and blue lights could be seen flashing off the sides of the buildings. There was a flaming barrel nearby, providing light to the nearby darkened alley. They also noticed large metal fences that barred the exit of the city out into the forest. Jumping down from the truck, Daisuke walked around it, seeing the remains of a demolished building, with trees in the distance. The pile of rubble was far too tall and dangerous to climb. The path leading to the other alleyway was blocked off by even more rubble, barring access to the road just past it.

"Well… this puts us in a precarious situation." the man deadpanned, taking a deep breath. He coughed a bit, a peculiar scent entering his lungs. "Ugh… what is that smell? It smells like garbage and skunk piss!"

"Ew, you're right… it smells like meat that's gone 3 weeks bad. Like it's been sitting on the hot Texas sun for days!" Miyaki said, holding back the urge to vomit.

"Guys, we should start making our way out of here. I dunno about you, but I've got a bad feeling about this." Haruna said, shivering a bit from the cold. The clouds above them rumbled, a few traces of lightning being visible high above.

"Looks like another storm, god what is it with this island and fucking rain?"

"Better than the blistering heat of yesterday," Shiro said, spinning her ax in her hands. "Come on, I'll take the lead since I got a weapon. Dais I would ask you to cover our cute behinds but you got no bullets."

"I'll just uh… keep a lookout." the man said, quickly glancing away. She spared one look back, swallowing hard. "_God, why is it that I get stuck with four girls? Two of them wearing skirts and the one wearing a dress? What the fuck?"_

The group started making their way up the alleyway, coming up on the first open road of the city. The buildings seemed to end as the road slowly turned into a dusty path that led out into the woods. However, that road was blocked by 12 foot high, steel, and barbed wire fencing. To the right, the road expanded, heading in two directions. However, the remains of a destroyed gasoline truck was blocking the straight path, making whoever walked down it have to take the right path. Flames continued towering high, as the remaining gasoline continued to burn.

"What the hell happened here? Do you think this was a functioning city before Jibo took over the island?" Miyaki asked curiously, her eyes shifting from building to building.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I wouldn't put it past him. This island is far bigger than anyone thinks it is, big enough for people to live comfortably. Something tells me that this city was inhabited at one point, by far more than SCP Foundation members. There's a reason why there's a village on one side of the island, and mooring docks for passenger ships." Haruna said firmly.

"So, you think this was some hot vacation destination?" Shiro asked, earning a nod from the hostess. She shrugged, continuing her bouncing gait forward. "It makes as much sense as the next thing. It's probably why this half of the island is more technologically advanced than the other side."

"Um, guys look," Mackenzie suddenly said, pointing ahead of them. There was an abandoned Police car a few hundred yards away, with bright flashing lights, both doors having been left open. "Do you think there are cops here? That could help us deal with Jibo?"

"I doubt it," the storyteller said, frowning. "If there was any authority left on this island, they're probably dead. We don't know how hard the Tragedy hit this place. For all we know, the cops here are in cahoots with Jibo and his lackeys." he continued, walking towards the car. He hopped into the driver's seat, finding the keys in the ignition. "They left the keys at least."

"Well what are you waiting for?! Try it!" Miyaki cried out. The man rolled his eyes, flicking his wrist only for the car to stall. He tried it a few more times, but the car failed to start. "Dammit… even when they're not here the police piss me off!"

"Why is that? Had a bad run-in with the fuzz Kiki? Had one too many wild nights in the circus?"

"Piss off Shiro!" she exclaimed, looking away from the executioner, a flush on her cheeks. Daisuke reached under the steering wheel, popping the trunk open. He walked around, opening it further, a smile on his face.

"Well… at least they didn't take their weapons with them," he said, reaching inside for a spare handgun. He checked it over, nodding to himself. "Beretta 92fs, 15 round magazine… looks like there's several of these in here."

"Look at that… a shotgun, some spare machine guns too." Haruna said, gulping at the sight of all the weapons. "What… what were these guys hoping to fight?"

"Despair most likely," Mackenzie said. Daisuke shifted a few things around, reaching for a 1911 handgun. He pulled the slide back, loading a magazine into the receiver, holding it out to Mackenzie, who bristled at its sight. "No… I can't."

"Yes you can," he said, placing the gun in her hand. He pulled a holster from the car, strapping it onto her leg, making sure it was securely fastened. He wrapped a fanny pack around her waist as well, stuffing it full of magazines. "We don't know what we'll be facing, better to have it and not use it than not having it and need it."

The painter sighed, deciding not to say anything. Daisuke was right, after what had happened with Miya, she needed something to defend herself with. Even if it was just a pistol. She watched the man intently, as he looked the Ithaca M37 riot shotgun over. He furrowed his brows for a moment, holding it out to Haruna.

"This one holds 6 rounds in the tube, one in the chamber. You don't have to necessarily aim with it, these twelve gauge shells will give you a decent spread," he said, handing her the satchel filled with shells.

"Okay… I've never really shot a gun… aside from the Skeet guns aboard the Majestic Princess."

"It won't be too different, imagine those but with a bit more oomph."

"Oh-oh! Me next! Me next!" Shiro said cheerfully. Daisuke sighed, shaking his head as he reached for the spare MP5.

"This is an MP5, select-fire sub machine gun. It's chambered in 9mm and takes these 50 round magazines. Keep it on single action until you need to go full auto. This is a dangerous weapon alright Shiro? Don't aim it around all willy nilly." he said.

"Okay jeez, I'm not a child! I got this," she said, looking the gun over. She pressed the buttons on the side, pulling the stock out. Daisuke grew slightly nervous but decided to trust Shiro with the weapon.

"I've already made my choice Dais, I feel comfortable with this one. Besides, I've used an MP5 before," Miyaki said, having already grabbed one of the guns. She shoved a magazine into the receiver, pulling the loading rod back.

"Well… that just leaves me." the man said, grabbing the remaining firearm from within the car. It was an M16A1, the model that was often used by law enforcement. It was a familiar set up for him, and it felt rather nice in his hands. He looked around for a moment, spotting all of the magazines, and placed them inside of his messenger bag. "Okay… we've basically picked this car clean. All we need now is some food and we'll be able to get outta here."

"All the roads seem to be blocked…" Miyaki said, brushing some hair behind her ear, frowning. "Where do you think we should go?"

"Forward… that's the only thing we can do."

_xxx_

Half an hour had passed since the group had found their small cache of weapons, and still nothing. There wasn't a sign of cognitive human life, at least not that they were able to see. However, they did start running into something they didn't want to see. Bodies. Hundreds of bodies, all laid out in various positions, up against walls, on the hoods of abandoned cars, all covered in sickly wounds, gunshots, and bites.

They didn't like that… not one bit.

Daisuke had gotten his answer, the pungent smell that they had been whiffing for the last hour or so had been rotting flesh. It was a smell that they all wanted to forget, but knew they weren't going to. All possible routes towards the center of the city seemed blocked for whatever reason. However, they did manage to spot some searchlights, leading them to believe they weren't alone. The group had recently entered an alleyway, sick of being forced down a predetermined path. Daisuke was growing tired and angry, from lack of sleep and lack of food. He was beginning to think Jibo had done this just to mess with them. Lightning flashed above them, carrying with it the low rumble of thunder. Daisuke shone his light down the road, spotting another pile of bodies. A sickly, green liquid oozed from the decomposing flesh. He breathed through his mouth, just to avoid the scent.

"Hold up," he said softly, causing the four ladies with him to stop. He knelt down before the bodies, looking at the various wounds littering the rotting flesh. "Ain't seen anything like this before."

"Jesus, don't let that stop you from smearing it all over yourself!" Shiro jokingly said, causing the storyteller to stand up. He had been examining the goo closely, having dipped his fingers in it. He shifted his weight onto his left foot, wiping his hand on Shiro's dress.

"Whatever this is, it's infecting the people here."

"Aw… dammit Dais, what the fuck! It stinks!" the girl cried, rubbing the goo off her dress as best she could. Miyaki fought back her giggles, holding her gun tightly. Mackenzie jumped a bit, glancing over her shoulders as some soft cries filled her ears.

"Do you hear that?" she asked softly. Haruna took a few steps forward, her heels clacking softly against the pavement as she scanned their surroundings. The cries got a little louder, making her turn around.

"It's a little girl! There's someone still out here!" she said softly. Looks of skepticism crossed their faces. Daisuke was about to say something when Mackenzie tugged on his shirt, a puppy-eyed look on her face.

"Can we look? We might be able to get someone else off this horrible island," she said softly. He sighed, giving her a nod. He flicked the flashlight on his gun on and started walking forward. The cries became louder as he walked until they finally reached their fever pitch. He stopped in front of a metal door, where the cries were coming from.

"Haruna, Miyaki, cover us. Shiro, Mackenzie, on me," he said softly. They nodded, quickly getting to their positions. He grabbed a hold of the door knob, slowly turning it, pushing the door open. A soft creak filled the room, which was completely dark. "Over there," he said softly, causing Mackenzie to shine her light forth.

"Hello? Is there anyone in here?" she asked softly, taking a few steps inside. "Hello? It's okay, we're going to get you out."

Mackenzie took a few more steps forward, shining her light to the end of the room. A figure slowly became visible. It was a ghastly looking creature, an emaciated young woman, dressed in nothing but a shredded tank top and stained underwear. She was covered in blood, her hands, or rather her claws, were drenched in dried pink blood. She was hunched over, soft cries rocking her body. Mackenzie was going to call out to her, when Daisuke pushed her guns down.

"Lights off!" he hissed, shuddering as he looked back at the figure. Even in the low lighting from the outside, he could make out her form. It was something that no one wanted to mess with.

"Ugh… this is so stupid." Shiro mumbled as she stood just outside the room. She held her gun tightly in her grasp. "As if saving a little girl is going to help us. That's just another person we gotta worry about."

"It doesn't matter Shiro. What matters is that we're saving a life, a life that would have been taken away by despair."

"Besides, it's just who Daisuke is," Miyaki added, agreeing with what Haruna had said. "You can tell that he just wants to save as many lives as he-"

She paused mid-sentence, slowly turning around. She heard footsteps, loud footsteps, as if a crowd was running towards them. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes widening as she backed away. The crowd that was running toward them were growling and screeching, their maws covered in copious amounts of flesh and blood. Haruna let out a squeak, not knowing what to do.

"Hey, guys! We got a situation here!" Shiro cried, moving into the room, shining her light directly at the haunched figure. She let out a scream, her crimson eyes focusing on the executioner. Daisuke grabbed Mackenzie's hand tightly. "What the fuck is that?"

"RUN!" he screamed, pulling the two out of the room, slamming the door behind them. Shiro rested her shoulder against the door frame, seeing the metal door indent outward. Seeing what was going on, Daisuke rose his rifle to his shoulder, flicking the switch forward.

"Open fire!" he commanded, pulling the trigger. The bodies started dropping, heads and arms bursting apart as each round connected. For every two that Daisuke took down, another three took their place. Shiro let out a scream as a clawed arm flew threw the metal door, she stuck the barrel of her gun through it, pulling the trigger back hard.

"AAAAHHHH! DIE DIE DIE!"

"What the hell is wrong with these people?!" Miyaki cried, kneeling down as she loaded a new magazine into her gun. "Where are they even coming from?!"

"That doesn't matter, just put your bullets through their fucking heads!" Daisuke cried, his rifle clicking empty. "Cover me, I'm reloading!" he said, dropping his magazine. Haruna stepped forward, taking aim at a feral looking woman, blowing her head apart. She groaned as the stock of her gun struck her shoulder, but she continued shooting.

"Ugh, finally. Fucking bitch is dead, it only took ALL OF MY BULLETS!" the executioner cried, replacing her spent magazine. She moved forward, covering Mackenzie who's gun had locked back.

"Stick together!" Miyaki added as the crowd began to thin. She let out a scream as she felt something wrapping around her waist. She dropped her gun as she was yanked off her feet. A loud gurgling cough filled the air as she continued being hoisted towards the nearby fire escape. She pulled on the appendage, taking a deep breath. "Help!"

Daisuke looked over his shoulder, slamming his fist against the side of his rifle as he took aim. "I got you!" he shouted, peering down his iron sights. Two well-placed shots killed the creature that was strangling the circus performer. She fell to the ground hard, a dull clang of her metal leg hitting the ground echoing through the area. He held his hand out, a small smile on his face. "You know, I thought you normally used a net when you do flying trapeze tricks."

"Oh fuck off." she hissed, taking a hold of his hand. Shiro handed her the MP5 back and went back to thinning the crowd.

The crowd finally thinned out, giving the five a bit of a reprieve. Daisuke looked at the bodies, stunned at what he was seeing. Before he could even speak, the loud whirling of chopper blades filled the skies. Mackenzie got a surge of energy, causing her to run down the alleyway, down towards the street.

"HEY! DOWN HERE!" she cried, waving her hands around. "PLEASE, WE NEED HELP!" she continued, waving her arms a little harder. Sadly, the chopper continued flying down the road, causing her to stomp her foot in anger. "Damn it!"

A loud screech filled her ears, causing her to turn around. She let out a scream as a hooded figure literally _pounced _her. It pinned her to the ground, growling and snapping its blood-soaked maws at her. She grabbed a hold of its shoulders, pushing it back, to no avail. She let out a scream of pain as it slashed her arm with its claws, spraying blood all through the air and ground.

Shiro let out a grunt as she shoved the figure off of Mackenzie's body. She scooped up her discarded pistol, opening fire on the creature. Her eyes were filled with fury as she slammed round after round into its chest. One final gunshot through the head from Miyaki caused the body to fly back, landing on the hood of a car. It's alarm started blaring, echoing through the now silent streets.

"What… what the fuck was that thing?" the executioner mumbled, panting a bit. Mackenzie sniffled as she stood up, wrapping her arm in what was left of her jacket, in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.

"Who knows?" Haruna said, looking over Mackenzie. "We need bandages, these cuts are pretty deep."

Daisuke was about to reply, when a torrent of screams echoed through the city, cutting through the car alarm. He looked toward the road ahead, seeing the large metal fences that blocked them. More of those...infected...were running at them. They climbed over the fences with ease, not even caring that the wires were wearing through their flesh. He took a deep breath, shakily raising his rifle, preparing to gun them all down.

"Why… why is the ground shaking?" Miyaki asked, a look of fear growing on her face. Her eyes focused on the incoming horde of people, sprinting towards them.

"_**ROARRRR!"**_

A loud crash cut through the screeching crowd, as a car was flung through the metal fences. The vehicle flew through the air, slamming into the ground rolling over several people, killing them all instantly. The reason why the ground was rumbling finally had an answer. A large, humanoid figure was moving at a rapid pace towards them. It had large, bulging arm muscles, pulsing with blood. It was moving towards the five, crushing the crowd with ease. It picked up bodies, snapping their spines and tossing them aside like they were tooth-picks. Its head was buried in its neck, hidden behind its fleshy shoulders. Haruna took a few steps back, aiming her shotgun at the creature.

"Run or shoot?"

The crowd was beginning to get closer to them, along with the massive hulking beast that was leading the pack. Mackenzie let out a whimper as she clutched her gun in her hand. Daisuke looked around, spotting a nearby alleyway. He nodded firmly, raising his own gun.

"Run or shoot?" the hostess reiterated, her finger resting on the trigger.

"Both!" he cried, taking the lead as he opened fire on the giant creature. He started moving backward towards the alleyway, being followed by the others.

Miyaki and Shiro teamed up, using their automatic fire to take down the infected crowding the creature, while Daisuke focused his fire on its face. However, every single shot he got managed to strike its muscular torso. It kept moving forward, ducking and weaving to avoid the bullets. They reached a corner, turning into the next alleyway. Daisuke dropped his empty magazine, rapidly replacing it with a new one.

"Get to the roof!" Miyaki cried, pointing to the fire ladder that was partially pulled down. Daisuke turned around, pulling the loading rod of his M16 back hard.

"GO!" he cried, slinging more rounds down the alleyway. Haruna stood beside him, firing round after round at the rapidly thinning crowd. Her shotgun clicked empty and she backed away, hurriedly grabbing some shells, sliding them into the gate at the bottom. She let out a yelp as she tripped, sending shotgun shells in all directions.

"Haru!" Mackenzie cried from the ladder. The hostess grit her teeth, grabbing a hold of her shotgun, just as an infected was about to take a bite out of her leg. She blasted its head apart, soaking herself in blood and brain matter.

"FUCK! This dress was designer!" she shouted in anger. She hastily stood up, slamming the stock of her gun into the face of an oncoming infected. The hulking beast finally turned the corner, throwing bodies aside as it approached the group.

"_Shit, shit shit shit shit!" _Daisuke thought, as he reached for a new magazine.

He slammed it into the receiver, raising it up to his shoulder, sending a few extra rounds at the beast. It growled in anger, slamming is bulging arms into the nearby building. The wall crumbled as it grabbed a huge piece of it, throwing it at the fire escape, nearly crushing Shiro and Haruna who was slowly climbing up. The storyteller lowered his rifle, grabbing onto the ladder to make his way up, when an infected grabbed his arm, about to take a bite out of his flesh. Its head burst, body falling lifelessly to the ground.

"Go, I'll hold them off!" Miyaki cried, as she continued shooting the oncoming horde with her pistol. Daisuke jumped to the side as he kept sprinting up the stairs. The hulking beast grabbed onto the fire escape, pulling the metal frame clean off the brick wall.

The man continued to climb, as the creature kept pursuing them. Miyaki shifted her aim, a look of fear and anger on her face as she shot bullet after bullet into its face. Daisuke threw his rifle over the edge of the building jumping up in time to grab the ledge. He pulled himself up, getting himself onto the rooftop. The creature grabbed onto the span that Miyaki was on, bending it out of shape and pulling it down. She cried as she slid down onto the railing, her gun slipping out of her hand. She grit her teeth, sprinting forward, jumping just as the fire escape was pulled from under her.

"DAISUKE!" she shouted, arm outstretched. The man caught it, squeezing her hand tightly as they both watched the beast falling to its death, being impaled by the jutting metal of the fire escape. He started pulling her up, struggling for a second before Haruna came to assist him. The blonde was pulled over the edge, allowing to rest on the concrete ground.

The five of them lay on the ground, glancing directly at the sky. The rumbling clouds continued to swirl above them, as the rain picked up from a dull trickle to a soft drizzle. Shiro remained silent for a few moments, before bursting into laughter, slamming her tiny fists into the ground.

"AHAHAHAHA~ What a rush! I can't believe we made it! I thought we were goners but then whoosh! We climbed up those stairs like mother fuckers!"

"Shiro, we just crossed the street!" Haruna snapped, glaring at the executioner. "Let's not throw a party until we know what the fuck is going on." she continued, exasperated.

"Those were zombies, right? I wasn't just seeing shit?" Miyaki asked, wiping the sweat from her brow with her jacket. She took the garment off, tossing it completely aside. "I haven't run that fast… since the fire that took our circus. Christ, my damn thigh hurts."

"To answer your question Kiki… yes, those were zombies. The running kind, if you _hadn't _noticed." the storyteller said. She sat up, giving him a pout.

"Don't you dare hit me with the sarcasm Dais, I know your sister! She taught me a thing or two about being sarcastic!"

"Hit me with it, honey, right now I could fucking care less."

"Aw… come one, you guys! Let's not let this beat us down… look, I know we're hungry and thirsty and tired. Hell, I got so much sweat between my ass cheeks that I can fill an entire gallon." Shiro said, earning groans from the others. "But we're still alive, that's what matters! We may be tired, we may be sweaty, we may be smelly, but we're still fucking alive!"

"Not for long, if this keeps up," Haruna said, checking her satchel. "I've got 10 rounds left, plus the three in the tube.

"I must have wasted 5 magazines on that crowd alone," Miyaki mumbled. Mackenzie groaned in pain, fumbling with her gun. She drew the magazine, counting the remaining rounds.

"I got 5."

"One for each of us," Daisuke said jokingly. Haruna slapped him across the face, causing him to shout in pain. He turned to face her, glaring into her eyes. "What the hell was that for?"

"For being an ass!"

"Ugh...fucking shit, you scratched my face!"

"Can we focus on the problem here?!" the circus performer shouted, causing the two to start arguing. "We're stuck on this rooftop now, with little provisions. What are we going to do?"

Before anyone could reply, the whirling sounds of a chopper filled the air. They all stopped, looking around briefly as the vehicle turned the corner, flashing a light around. It was a white helicopter, quite small in comparison to what they had been expecting to see. It was emblazoned with a familiar-looking logo. A target with three arrows pointing to the center, the letters "SCP" were emblazoned on the side of it. The pilot stopped moving, having spotted the group. He set the chopper to hover, sliding the side door open.

"Hey! You folks alright?" he cried out.

"No! We need help! Can you get us out of here? My friend is injured, she needs stitches!" Daisuke called out. The man sighed, shaking his head.

"You're covered in blood, from those _things _I presume? If you've faced them then you know a street pick up would be too risky. Tell ya what, I just picked up some stuff from the nearby hospital. I've been ferrying survivors to a military camp on the outskirts of town. The SCP members that weren't affected by the Tragedy have been holed out there. I encourage you to join us!"

"Join you? How the hell are we supposed to do that? You don't wanna pick us up!" Shiro shouted. The man grunted as he pushed a large white crate onto the rooftop.

"As I said before, I can't do a street-side pickup. That crate has medicine, food, water, and ammunition, along with some spare guns. If you can make it to the top of Mercy Hospital, I'll extract you and your friends from there. It isn't that far from here, I told a group of six earlier to head in that direction."

"A group of six? Where were they? How old did they look?" Haruna cried desperately.

"Did they have a pink-haired girl with them?" Daisuke added.

"I'm not sure… one of them had cat ears, and there was a cute blonde with huge boobs!" he called back.

"Riku and Alice," Mackenzie mumbled softly. The pilot closed the door, retaking his seat. He peeked his head out the window, giving them a smile.

"I'm gonna do some more rounds before refueling. I wish you luck!"

With that, the man took off, leaving the group of five to their own devices. Shiro clicked her tongue, grumbling swears under her breath. Miyaki meanwhile busied herself with the crate they had been given. She opened it up, sighing contently when she saw several bottles of water.

"Come to mama!" she said cheerfully, downing half the bottle in one gulp.

"Things are looking up, aren't they Dais?" Haruna asked, earning a nod from the man. He looked around for a moment, eyes narrowed as he scanned the horizon. Hundreds of thousands of buildings all rose high above them, but there was one that towered higher than all of them.

It was a tall, mostly brick building that stood tall in the city. It must have been at least 30 stories high, covered in thick Plexiglas. There was a bright green cross mounted onto the forward-facing side of the building. He could see searchlights, moving back and forth in the distance. To him, it looked like it was several city blocks away, but with the hordes of zombies on the streets below, it may have well been across the island. He swallowed hard, looking up at the sky.

"_Charlotte… everyone… I hope you are doing alright." _

* * *

**Location: Subway Station**

**Time: ?**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

"Charlotte, we gotta keep moving," Reukra said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked down, giving the younger boy a nod.

She took a few steps forward, having looked away from the sky. There had been a huge gaping hole in the building they had been traversing. After making it to the city, she had been separated from Daisuke. She could only pray that he and the others were alright. Diego had taken the lead of the group, having found an Automatic Shotgun in one of the nearby buildings. It hadn't been hard to procure weapons for everyone, she herself had a katana. She felt slightly dejected when she had been given the sword, but it was better for her, she didn't have to waste the bullets at least.

"Ugh… I'm growing tired of these damned zombies." Eris said, as she placed her glasses back over her eyes. The bodies that she had turned to stone burst into ash moments after. She had been using her skill for a while now, and have been growing very tired.

"Seriously… what the hell else will they throw at us? An abandoned research facility, I can handle. Some fucked up creatures in the woods? That's A-okay. A fucking simulation of the Titanic? That's totally cool, but this? What the actual fuck!"

"You know Eris, if you keep talking, you'll keep attracting the zombies towards you. You'll have to constantly use your petrification, meaning you'll get more tired." Diego said, as he used the stock of his gun to put down a zombie. "The point of me saying this is… shut your mouth."

"You can lick the sweat from my left tit," the girl mumbled under her breath. Dalila sighed as she pulled Seisha along. The Samebito had been very frightened with the zombies that were on the prowl. She had been soothing him with small talk, and some tribal music from her homeland, but she knew it wouldn't be much longer until something happened.

"Diego… we need to find a place to rest," she said. The man sighed as they reached the entrance to a train tunnel. The subway train had been left abandoned, the emergency door having been tripped clean off its hinges.

"We have to keep going, for a little bit longer, okay Lila? I know that it's hard on all of us. But if we keep stopping every few minutes, we'll get swamped."

"I agree with Diego," Charlotte added, jumping up onto the car. She coughed loudly, a feeble wheeze escaping her lips. She stopped for a moment, feeling a bit lightheaded. "I'm fine."

"Charlie, don't force yourself to keep going. The last thing we need is for you to croak on us, because then Dais wouldn't be a happy camper."

"I said I'm fine!"

Seisha slowly reached into his knapsack, pulling out a bottle of water. He approached the siren, his thumping footsteps causing her to look back up. He gave her a smile, holding the bottle to her. "I have to keep my gills wet too… I don't mind sharing."

"Oh… no sweetie. You keep that for yourself, big sis Charlie will be just fine."

"No, you won't. Mr. Daisuke loves you right? That means that you have to stay alive, that way when you two see each other again, you'll hug and kiss." he said, causing the siren to flush. He chuckled, continuing where he left off. "Then he'll take you to a quiet room, and the two of you will wrestle!"

"Huh?" the siren asked, clearly confused. "Wrestle? Why the hell would we do that?"

"Well… that's how babies are made right? A man and a woman fall in love, then they wrestle and the baby comes out!" he said cheerfully. The samebito tilted his head to the right, a pensive look on his face. "Though, if you are half fish that means he has to fertamilize the eggs… just like bees do with flowers right?"

"Can we not?" Eris asked, brushing past Charlotte into the car, followed by the others. "Jesus Christ Lila, what the fuck have you been telling him?"

"Nothing!' the girl exclaimed, flushing. "I only told him about the birds and the bees, because he asked what rape was." she continued, at a more hushed tone. Diego took a hold of her hand, placing the gentlest of kisses on top of it.

"I think you did a good job, but make sure you explain this to him in a way he can understand, okay?"

"I'll try too, but sometimes kids need a strong man to explain things to them as well." the dryad said, causing Diego to walk away.

"Fuck that noise, that's all, you sweetie."

She huffed in annoyance, deciding to remain silent as they continued walking. They made it through the train, and onto the next station. The group of six carefully climbed onto the landing, seeing the stairs had been blocked by rubble. Sighing, Diego scanned his surroundings with his shotgun, moving toward the nearby train car. Seeing an infected, he put a round in its head, it's chest and upper body exploded, coating the train in copious amounts of blood. He shifted his aim, blasting a part a second and then a third zombie. He let out a sigh, loading more shells into the tube.

"This is getting old."

"What do you think caused this?" Charlotte asked curiously. "Do you think some virus-infected all of these people?"

"Maybe…" Reukra added, clutching his shovel tightly in his hands. He swung it at a nearby zombie, a sickening crunch filling the air. The body dropped to the ground, allowing him to stab the blade into its forehead. "But… maybe Jibo released some pathogen that infected the people in this city."

"Why would he do that?" Eris asked curiously. The siren growled as she sliced a zombie's head clean off its shoulders. She spun the sword around her hand, driving the blade through its eye socket.

"You tell me, sweetheart, why do you think he turned _me _into a siren? Or you into a gorgon?"

"I'm detecting a hint of sarcasm there." the gorgon said, holding back a giggle. "I get what you mean though… maybe he did this just to eliminate the people. Hora Island was probably a tourist attraction, that's why there's a city here."

"That would make a lot of sense. It would explain why Haruna is here. Maybe the Majestic Princess was set to come to this city. But Jibo was already planning this shit, and he decided to sink it. That's when he captured Haruna. If that's the case, then why not give her a talent or turn her into a monster?"

"Something tells me he didn't touch Haruna for a more perverse reason," Dalila said, sighing audibly. "I mean seriously… have you noticed that all of the ladies here, save a few, are quite well endowed?"

"Yes, I have… everyone but Mackenzie, Shiro and Miyaki… Especially Miyaki. You'd think someone in the circus would have nice boobs. At least she's got a good looking body." the siren said, earning a cough from Diego. "What? I swing both ways."

"Since when?" Eris asked curiously.

"Since mind your own fuckin business."

"Well top-quality conversation here guys, I feel so much smarter with you around," Reukra said, earning a frown from Diego.

"Perhaps now would be the perfect time to get to know each other? It's been very hectic these past few days but… we haven't really talked a lot, have we?"

"I don't really have much to share," Charlotte said, walking around a pile of bodies as she kept walking through the subway. "I was born in Anchorage, Alaska to an interracial couple. I don't like talking about it a lot… people in America are quite touchy on the subject."

"An interracial couple? That's not such a bad thing Charlie." Dalila said, earning a chuckle from Eris.

"No… it isn't, but there are people who are very racist in our world. You were bullied a lot for it wasn't you?"

"Hmm… no. I wasn't… you see I took my looks from my mother Rhea. She was white-skinned and had pink hair. She was such an awesome woman, a really beautiful person, and a loving mom. What I wouldn't give for another hug."

"I feel you." the duplicator said softly. "I want to hug my mom again too… I took her for granted and was embarrassed by her. One more hug, one more lullaby, one more kiss on the cheek…" he sniffled. Dalila wrapped her arm around his waist, giving him a side hug.

"It'll be alright. She's watching you from above," she said with a smile.

"So Charlotte, if your mom was who you inherited your looks from, then I take it your father is the one who's of a different race?" Eris asked, getting back to the topic of the conversation. She paused, freezing another zombie in place. A solid punch to the face turned him to dust. "Is he Asian? Hispanic?"

"African American." the girl replied, smiling. "His name is Jared, and he's such a good person. My sister Nessa gets all of her looks from him. I dunno why it was, but her avatar in the Neo World Program made her look closer to my skin tone. She's actually the same color as Dalila, with bright blue eyes and long dyed blue hair."

"Whoa whoa whoa wait… your little sister is black?" Diego asked, looking astounded. "But… she looked almost like you, a little younger of course but… now I don't think I can see it."

"We decided not to talk about it. But she was really freaking out whenever she wasn't with me. She's comfortable in her own skin, believe me. But she felt like Jibo was insulting our family. I honestly believe it, seeing as he probably has files on each and every single one of us."

"Why would he go through the trouble of programming accurate skin colors for Ashton and Dalila but not for Nessa?" Diego queried, looking confused. "Unless he didn't plan for them to be there."

"That's probably it… he shoved them in at the last second, explains why there were only 7 hostages and not more." Reukra said angrily. "When I find him, I am going to run him through with a sword."

"Miss Dalila, I'm getting tired." Seisha suddenly said, holding back a yawn.

"I know sweetie, I know. We're almost out of here." the girl said, giving him an encouraging smile. The samebito got a surge of energy, making him match their pace. Eris sighed as she looked around the train tunnel, finding a nearby door. She opened it, sighing when she saw it lead to the road.

"This way guys."

"Say Eris… tell us about yourself? Do you have any family? Parents? Siblings?" Charlotte asked, causing the woman to stiffen a bit. She cleared her throat, giving the siren a nod. Her snakes hissed loudly as they walked, the rain having gotten harder since the last time they were out.

"I have a pair of sisters, twins in fact. They're the most precious thing in my life, and thankfully, both of them are in Ireland, far away from this shithole," she replied, glancing at the sky. "Helen and Phoebe… they're good kids."

"You seem deflated… did something happen to them?" Diego asked. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Not to them perse… but uh… well…" the woman paused, shaking a bit. She closed her eyes, her snakes becoming uncharismatically still. "Did you ever hear of the destruction of Istanbul?"

"Oof… yeah, I heard about that." Reukra said, swinging his shovel at a nearby infected. It was facing away from them and thankfully didn't alert any others.

"I was… erm… I was there." she said, rubbing her arm. She took a deep breath, glancing at her companions. "I've been wanting to talk about this for a long time alright? I've felt… guilty. I need someone to share it with and… I trust you all."

"Did you do something bad, Miss Eris?" Seisha asked curiously. The gorgon nodded, rubbing her arm as she walked.

"I did…. But I didn't have a choice… if I didn't, they would kill my sisters. I'll tell you a bit of this story now… but please don't judge me for what I'm about to say. I'm really not a bad person." she said. The others nodded, with Diego gesturing for her to continue. "Well… it all started in February of 2017, in the early stages of the Tragedy."

_**xxx(Flashback)xxx**_

**February 28, 2017**

_Istanbul was burning._

_Eris ran for her life through the streets, just hoping to live a moment longer. She didn't know __what_ _happened to her parents, but she wasn't sure she __wanted_ _to know._

_The three of them had just wanted to take a little family vacation to Turkey - as much of one as they __could__, Phoebe and Helen had gotten sick and ended up staying with their aunt and uncle - and figured that seeing the famous city would be a nice ending event before they went home. Plus, things had been getting increasingly hectic in the country (same story as the rest of the world, really, __especially_ _in the east) and it had been decided that returning to the far more stable Greece. At least Athens had somehow avoid many riots and the like._

_So of course, when they decided to have one more day of sightseeing, __that_ _is when someone triggered a mass firebombing, starting with the major landmarks._

_After getting lost in the crowd as more bombs and fires erupted, the fifteen-year-old Greek just concentrated on finding __anywhere_ _that wasn't going to collapse on her. She ran, ignoring the cries, the death, the occasional person running around in a black-and-white bear mask, the sheer hellscape that looked to be out of a painting of an ancient tragedy coursing all around her as she allowed the sheer terror to keep her legs moving._

_Finally, she found a spot near the shoreline that was actually quiet compared to the rest of the city and ducked behind an overturned boat that had somehow crashed into the street (she didn't waste time being what was happening on the water). Taking several deep breaths to __try_ _and calm herself, she took stock of everything. She was missing her purse - and with it, unfortunately, her phone - but thankfully, she was uninjured. She was pretty sure her hair - the part of herself she thought was the most attractive - was singed a little, but honestly she didn't care too much about that at the moment._

_Before she could do much in the way of planning, however, she heard voices. Uncomfortably calm for the circumstances voices._

"_Well, that's Despair officially brought to Turkey." A woman's voice stated in a satisfied tone._

"_Indeed." A man's voice agreed curtly, though more out of a lack of emotions than annoyance at the speaker._

"_And good to see the Greek lessons are working." A second woman's voice spoke out. "I think spreading Despair to Greece will have an extra punch if we can tell them in their native tongue how fucked they are."_

_Greece?!_

_Taking the risk, Eris peaked out from behind her hiding spot. She saw four people, all wearing those bear masks. One was a tall man in a red trench coat, currently arm-in-arm with a woman in a pink winter coat. A second woman in dark-gray clothes was walking next to them, a blood-soaked spiked bat slung over her shoulder as she thumbed some sort of pill bottle in her other hand. The last person was a shorter woman wearing, oddly enough, a yellow hoodie with bunny ears on it._

"_Look," said the woman in gray, the one who hadn't spoken yet, "as nice as it is to hang out with an old classmate again, we __really_ _need to hurry this up. Some of us are on a timetable; need to look like we 'just missed' the Despairs causing havoc around here. The last thing we need is Future Foundation getting suspicious of the three of us so early."_

"_And you wonder why I __didn't_ _decide to infiltrate alongside you guys." The bunny-hoodie girl - the owner of the second woman's voice - stated._

"_I_ _just figured that was to keep Taro and Tsubasa in line, you three were always pretty close." The girl in pink commented, shrugging a shoulder. "Speaking of, how __are_ _the lovebirds of Class 76?"_

"_Still sickeningly sweet, even in Despair," Bunny-Hoodie explained, sounding rather deadpanned about it (Eris could practically __feel_ _the eyeball under the mask), "though they __have_ _started doing it on piles of corpses for some reason."_

"_Sounds unsanitary." The man noted while Pink Girl shuddered. Gray Girl silently nodded her head in agreement._

"_Eh, Tsubasa says it gives them a rush or something. Adds spice to the love life or whatever." Bunny elaborated._

"_Anyways__," Pink decided to steer the conversation back on track, "where are we hitting first when we actually __get_ _to Greece?"_

"_Mmmm," Bunny hummed, an index finger on the chin of her mask, "I was thinking … Athens. They're pretty peaceful even now, we can hit there and spread outwards."_

_ATHENS!?_

_Eris's family lived near Athens. Her __five-year-old little sisters_ _lived near Athens. If … what she thought was correct … if her parents were really … then her sisters were the closest family members she had left. If they were still near Athens when these 'Despairs' showed up … if they got caught up in what happened …_

_Before she even really thought of anything, she had leaped up from her hiding place._

"_WAIT__!" She cried out, hands out in front of her like she was trying to stop a car._

_The masked madmen turned towards her, the man moving in front of the pink girl slightly and suddenly holding several small blades between his fingers._

"_Well now, an interloper." The gray girl noticed, moving her bat from her shoulder to cradle it in her gloved hands. "I wonder what's so important that you'd leave your hiding place while we were still around. Do you have family in Athens, by any chance?"_

_Eris swallowed, trying to get her thoughts in order. "I-I was just thinking, instead of going to Greece next, why not target some other country instead, huh?" She was met with silence, though Bunny-Hoodie did tilt her head in a confused manner. "I mean, Bulgaria's right next door. Or what about Serbia, it made that shit film a few years back, why not burn the whole place to the ground or something, make some s'mores while you're at it. That sounds fun, right?" She grinned - grimaced, more like - hopefully at her suggestions._

_They stared blankly at her. Then Pink spoke up. "Yoi-chan, take her kneecaps."_

"_Wait." The gray girl held her bat out, stopping the other two. "This is a girl who, on hearing we're about to attack a major city, tried to avert that by throwing two other countries under the bus. I think that's noteworthy." She stepped forward. "What's in Athens that you want protected, and __please__," she pointed the bat at Eris, "Don't lie."_

_Eris stared at the group, mind racing. But, seeing no other options, she took what she could get. "M-My little sisters live outside of Athens. Our parents were here and-" she gestured around at the dying city, "… those two are probably all I have left. I … I don't want them to get hurt."_

"_Awww, well that's just sweet," Bunny said, folding her clasped hands against her head as she lifted a foot - clad in a brown shoe and dark knee-length sock, both blood-coated because of course - behind her in a cutesy manner. "We'll make sure to keep them alive so you can watch them die slowly then."_

"_Now now now, Aiko," Gray said, wagging a finger in Bunny - Aiko's - direction. "Why go for an obvious answer to this?" She stepped closer to Eris, her eyes raking over the young girl underneath the mask. "What's your name, miss?"_

" … _E-Eris."_

"_Lovely name, nice to meet you." She looked around, as though checking they were alone, before taking off her mask and gesturing for the others to do the same. "I'm Seiko," she continued, face now exposed (said from a doctors mask covering her mouth), "Ultimate Pharmacist, a graduate of Class 76 of Hope's Peak Academy, Branch 4 Leader of Future Foundation, and member of Ultimate Despair." She turned around and gestured to the man, the pink girl, and Aiko (whom Eris noticed had one blue eye and one green) in turn. _

"_These are my classmates and co-workers: Sonosuke, Ultimate Blacksmith; Ruruka, my best friend and Ultimate Confectioner, and Aiko, Ultimate Pilot." She turned back to the Greek. "So, now that you know are names and faces, __and_ _have admitted a desire to keep your little sisters unharmed," she raised her bat again, the spikes just brushing against the bottom of Eris's jawline, "What are you willing to do to keep us from killing you and them?"_

_Eris felt her mind lock up, sheer terror spiking through her stronger then the bat under her chin could(probably). Trying to keep from falling into complete panic, she finally managed to get __something_ _out. "W-W-Whatever you want me to do."_

_Seiko smiled. "Good answer." Moving the bat slightly - now the spikes merely rested on Eris's cleavage as opposed to her neck and jaw - Seiko turned back to Aiko. "You still have the stuff Ted made for us?"_

_The Ultimate Pilot nodded, smiling as she walked over, fishing something out of her bow-accentuated hoodie pockets. "As a matter of fact, I __do_ _have some leftover from the Blue Mosque." She pulled out several small devices. "They might pack a good punch if used correctly."_

"_Good," Seiko stated, turning back to Eris. "What my dear classmate has there, are a collection of small bombs that can take out the support structure of a building." She fiddled through her own jacket pocket for a moment, before pulling out a pill jar (different from the one she'd held earlier, she'd given that to Ruruka before approaching Eris). "And __this__, is a highly effective hallucinogen, meant to activate when dumped into a body of water." She finally lowered the bat completely, before holding the jar out to the younger girl. "What __you_ _are going to do, now, is return home as soon as possible, maybe take a day off if you like to send your sisters somewhere far away from us-"_

"_Personally, I'd recommend somewhere in the northern half of Ireland." Aiko chirped up. "Honestly, the area is so boring we might not even bother going there."_

"_Well, the IRA will probably cause more trouble in that country than we ever could," Ruruka pointed out, snuggling up against her lover._

"_Yes yes, anyways," Seiko called out, returning the focus of the conversation. "After you send your sisters away, Eris, you are to dump these hallucinogens in off Athens' coast, in the Saronic Gulf," Eris could feel her eyes widening as she realized what was being asked of her, "and plant these bombs at the Acropolis." And her mouth dropped open in horror as well. "And before you leave to join your sisters wherever, you'll detonate the bombs for us." Aiko punctuated her classmate's statement by pulling out said detonator from another pocket._

_Eris had heard the Despairs clearly, but desperately hoped she hadn't. "W-What?"_

"_You are going to drug and bomb Athens if you want your sisters and yourself to keep on living." Seiko summed up plainly. "As well as not sharing our names or faces with anyone, obviously."_

"_I … I-"_

"_And don't you dare say you can't or won't do this," The Pharmacist interrupted, waving the bat-spikes in Eris's face again, "you said you'd do __whatever_ _we asked. Unless you want any more of your family to die, obviously."_

"…" … _there was no option, then. Clearly. "… I'll … do as you ask. As long as you hold your end. Otherwise just-" she swallowed at what she was about to say. If she had no guarantees, there was no point. "-Just kill me now."_

_Seiko raised an eyebrow, surprised at the girl's last statement. Then, she started chuckling. "Well, you can surprise. Fine, you have our word this meeting says between the five of us, and none of us will do shit to you and yours once you're done." She lowered the bat and held her other hand - still holding the pill bottle - out for a handshake. "Deal?"_

_No time for hesitation._

_She took the hand, and the bottle. "Deal."_

_**xxx(Flashback End)xxx**_

Everyone remained silent as the girl finished her story. In that time, the group had made it to a pawn shop, which had been prepared as a "Safe House" against the infected. Diego had sealed the door shut, having turned to Eris while she continued speaking.

"You were forced to bomb your own home?" Charlotte asked, after several minutes of silence. Eris nodded, she didn't dare look up from the ground.

"Yeah."

"Did… did you do it?"

"Seisha, maybe you shouldn't ask that," Dalila said in a scolding tone. The samebito frowned, looking away with a pout on his lips.

"I promise to tell you all the rest later, I just… hoo… I feel a lot better now that I've shared a bit of that with you. I was beginning to think I would lose myself to my own mind." she said.

"How come you decided to share this now?" Diego asked curiously. She quirked a brow, holding her finger up towards one of her snakes. She clicked her tongue softly as she rubbed the underside of its head.

"The prospect of death does that to you, I think. I guess I'm… airing out the dirty laundry before I bite the dust. I know you all aren't priests and we aren't in a church. But I needed to tell someone." she said, glancing towards the door. "After Miya was killed… I started realizing just how mortal I still am. I don't want to die here, but on the off chance that I do, I want someone to know about me. So you can find my sisters and let them know what happened."

"I'm not going to do that," Charlotte said, causing the others to gasp. She turned away from the map she had been reading, giving Eris a smile. "You'll do that yourself. You'll get outta here, go back to Potato Land and tell your sisters how much you love them!"

"Pfft… potato land." the Mexican boy said, earning a glare from Eris. Had she not been wearing glasses, she would have likely turned him to stone.

"Hey, Eris… are you part Irish? Is it true that getting a kiss from an Irish person will bring you good luck?" Dalila suddenly asked. Eris smirked, giving her a nod.

"Mhmm… anyone who gets kissed by an Irish lad or lassie is granted the luck 'o the Irish!" she said, in a perfect Irish accent. The girl glanced back at Diego, who had moved toward the map that Charlotte had been staring at before gazing back at Eris. "Um… do you think I could get one? I wanted a bit of luck… for my relationship with Diego."

"Sure, I don't mind giving you a lucky kiss," Eris said, giving the girl a wink. Dalila shyly turned her cheek to the girl, expecting her to kiss it. Eris, however, felt bolder, she slowly turned the dryad's face, placing a saccharine kiss right on her lips. Dalila's eyes widened in surprise as the gorgon continued kissing her.

"Alright guys, I think we should start planning the next leg of our-" Charlotte stopped mid-sentence when she saw the dryad and gorgon locking lips. She glanced over at Diego who was looking at the map, though she could tell he was looking at the two out of the corner of his eye. She coughed loudly, making them pull away. "-Any idea why you would think…this… is a good way to spend our time?"

"What? She asked for a lucky kiss. If you kiss an Irish person, you become lucky!"

"Eris… didn't you say Athens was your home? That makes you Greek right? You aren't even Irish." Diego said. Dalila squeaked, burying her face in her hands.

"How embarrassing… I'm such a fool!"

"No.. you aren't. It was just a prank okay, how could I resist? You are so cute, I wanted a little kiss for myself!" Eris said, giving her a wink.

"Jeez, let's just keep planning our trip. We need to find a place to meet up with the others, and we haven't spotted any landmarks!" the siren exclaimed. Seisha jolted a bit, his ears perking up when he heard something nearby.

"What's wrong Seisha?" Dalila asked, a look of concern on her face.

"I hear something funny… like a loud whirling!"

"A chopper?" Diego mumbled, moving towards the door. He peeked through the slits, looking up into the sky. A white chopper slowly floated over them, shining a light around.

"_To anyone that can hear this, proceed to Mercy Hospital for Evacuation! I repeat, proceed to Mercy Hospital for Evacuation!"_

"Mercy Hospital?" Eris mumbled curiously.

"Evacuation… what does that mean? Are there others here?" the dryad asked, a hopeful look on her face. "Could our friends be heading there too?"

"I wouldn't put it past them," Charlotte said, pointing to the center of the map, where a bright green cross could be seen. "Mercy Hospital smack in the center of town. If that chopper is still flying around, spouting that message, then I'm sure the others have heard it too!"

"Then that's our play. We'll rest up and make it to the hospital!" Reukra cried in excitement.

"We'll have to be very careful. Just because our leg through those tunnels was easy and devoid of zombies, it doesn't mean the next one will be. There are some guns here as well, Charlie, I recommend you pick one up. In case we need to run, we have water here too. You and Seisha make sure your gills are wet. The last thing I want is to carry a dead fish all the way to the hospital. Daisuke would never forgive me."

"Of course he would! You have to bring some tar-tar sauce, of course, then he can make fish sticks!" Eris said, earning a glare from the siren.

"Har-de-har. Why don't you two count bullets or something before I get pissed and shove my foot up to your ass?"

"Okay, note to self… do not make fish jokes at the siren, it really ruffles her fins." the gorgon said. She screamed as she was forced to dodge shell casings and empty ammo boxes.

_**xxx(End of Act 2)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects: 18**

**AN: Hello everyone and welcome to Act 2 of Chapter 3. Things are about to take a turn as our subjects are all separated from each other in what will become their next playground. The fog will start rolling soon, but first we must tease them with the classic zombie horde! Who doesn't love a good zombie chase? Anyway, this is it for now, I am about to leave for my trip so I will leave you with this short update. So I hope you all enjoyed it. Shout out to WinterSmith, who wrote Eris's flashback. I've been meaning to use it for a while now and the chance has finally come! Whelp, see you all soon!  
**


	35. C3 Act 3: No Mercy

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 3

Act 3: No Mercy

**xxx**

**Location: ?**

**Time: ?**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

"You know… I never thought I would have to deal with zombies, especially not after last time." Alice said softly, as she held her Uzi tightly in her grasp. Nyx was walking beside her, holding a bloodied crowbar in her grasp, close behind was Bethany, who had been using her fire powers to incinerate any infected that came close to them. Similarly, Mariana was using her magic to cut them apart. That left Riku and Lars, who were doing nothing at all, much to Alice's annoyance.

"This isn't the first time you are dealing with the undead?" the halfling asked curiously. One of the infected screeched loudly, running right at her. She swung her crowbar with all of her strength, striking it under the chin. Its head popped causing blood and bone to scatter everywhere. Alice shook her head.

"No… we were hired by the King and Queen of Novoselic to deal with a foreign pathogen. I guess someone was messing with some bioweapons and it caused a negative effect on the populous. Our private company was tasked with destroying that chemical, at least… that's what General Sachiko told us. Heavens, it's been so long that I don't fully remember."

"That's probably because your memory is skewed. You were in hyper sleep for months, right? Since you left the Space station? Maybe Jibo did some weird experiment on you like he did with us." Lars said, glancing to the far right. A small smirk appeared on his lips. "Oh… maybe he felt you up while you were asleep."

"Ugh… do you seriously have to be so misogynistic?" the Ultimate Pele snapped, feeling her body heat up.

"I'm not though, I'm pointing something out that likely took place. You were frozen in a pod for two years before waking up in space. So he already did that messed up shit to you once, maybe he found you and wiped your memories. Who knows? Maybe Ethan was hiding more information with him about it all."

"Well if you hadn't shot him, maybe we could get some answers." Riku spat, swinging his baseball bat at a nearby infected. He growled in anger, bashing it a second time, despite it already being dead.

"Shit happens." the demonologist said with a shrug. He continued walking forward, glancing over his shoulder. He spotted Andras not that far from where he was. She jumped onto the trailer of a truck, quickly disappearing. He noticed her outfit had been splattered with blood, no doubt from fighting the undead.

"You've been looking over your shoulder a lot. What's the matter, Lars? Scared that something will attack us, or are you keeping an eye out for someone?" Mariana asked curiously.

"That's none of your business," he muttered under his breath. With that, he shut his mouth, deciding not to continue the conversation.

They continued walking, finally coming out of the alleyway they had been traversing. It opened up to a large, shipping facility. It looked as if they were in the industrial area of the city. There were some tall, 9-foot fences blocking out the area, topped with barbed wire. A few bodies were hanging from it, having been shot dead in the head. Several trucks had been parked in this depot, their gates having been lifted. It was as if the employees were going about their business when Tragedy struck. A large pile of rubble was blocking the exit, courtesy of a destroyed building. Alice looked around for a moment, spotting the shining lights of Mercy Hospital, the building towered above them, and was much closer than before.

"Well guys, we're getting near it. I'd say we're about 3 city blocks away, now if we could find a way out of here…"

"Do you… do you smell that?" Riku suddenly said, his tail springing up. His nose wiggled slightly as he took a few steps forward. His stomach rumbled loudly, as he licked his lips. "Chicken."

"Chicken?" the former Fenrir member asked softly. Nyx took a quick whiff of the air, the scent filling her nostrils. She closed her eyes, licking her lips.

"He's right… chicken… delicious fried chicken."

"Oh for fuck sakes," Mariana said softly, snapping her fingers loudly. "Hey, yeah? We're being chased by ravenous freaks here. Can we not stop in the middle of a lot and think about chicken?"

"But Mariana aren't you hungry? Come on! We can make a detour!" the neko said, a soft purr escaping his lips. "You are nice benevolent dragoness… you can have the biggest pieces we can find."

"Or… even better, we can skin the cat alive, fry him up and serve him to the minotaur for dinner. That way as he's eating his marbled corpse, we can escape at a brisk pace." Lars said jokingly. Bethany growled, slugging his arm with all of her strength, causing him to yelp. "Augh… you bitch, my fucking arm went numb!"

"Good… we're all tired and hungry, so we're stopping for food, and anyone who disagrees can walk the rest of the way to the hospital alone." she snapped, taking the lead. The demonologist sighed but said nothing as he followed the five.

The answer to their prayers had been answered. Right in front of them was a Kentucky Fried Chicken, the lights were still on in the restaurant. It looked mostly undisturbed by what was going on. The sign was turned on, and even spinning, as the Colonel's smiling face beamed down on them. Alice grabbed a hold of her knife, wedging it into the slat between the door and the frame. She wiggled it around for a moment, catching the latch. She turned to Mariana, who formed a ball of flames in her palm. She opened the door, allowing the manakete to zoom into the building. A couple of fire balls later, the infected within had been dealt with.

"We're all clear, get in before some of the ones outside hear us," she said. Alice allowed everyone to go ahead before her. She scanned the area one last time, before closing the door. She grabbed a couple of tables, using them to bar the doors.

"You know… we're in a glass box, I doubt a few tables are going to stop them from getting at us." Lars deadpanned. The girl slowly turned around, giving him a devious smirk.

"It'll be alright. I'll just shoot you in the knee, that way while they eat your mangled remains, we'll be able to get away a brisk pace."

"Can we just the chicken please? I'm fucking starving!" the neko said, literally bouncing in place as he looked at the menu. "Ah… look at that. Crispy chicken, fried chicken, grilled chicken breast. Oh… and the Famous Bowl, those are soooo good."

"Damn kid, you must really like KFC. This shit is gross, I used to call it a heart attack on a plate." Mariana said, placing a hand on her hip. Riku sighed, lowering his gaze.

"I love KFC… the reason being, whenever I wasn't home with my awful parents, I would be with a few friends. Whenever we finished uploading a video to YouTube, we'd go to the local KFC. I would always get a Famous Bowl and a large Mountain Dew. I would go home a happy camper… hell, my friend Nova made fun of me every time I ate there. Since I always ate my Famous Bowl, half of hers and whatever else the guys had left."

"You must have had a rough home life then?" Nyx asked, frowning. "I'm sorry to hear that… I didn't really have a home life. I spent all my days at the hospital getting treatment for my AIDS."

"My father died at the age of 9, so I spent most of my days on the streets, hanging out with the local gangsters. Drug lords are common where I come from, so a lot of sleeze bags would come to my neighborhood looking for girls to whore out. Thankfully my boys kept them away from me." Mariana added, walking around the counter. She checked the frilators and other kitchen tools. "Just our luck… we're gonna have to make this shit fresh. At least the oil is still good."

"Do you even know what you are doing?" Lars queried, from his spot in the dining room. He had quickly found a seat, leaning back contently. His bloodied boots were resting on top of a table, as he glanced at the counter.

"I do. I worked part-time at a restaurant back in Colombia. Shouldn't be too hard to make this… sadly I probably won't be able to get the Colonel's 11 herbs and spices on it."

"It doesn't matter to me… as long as it fills me up, I don't give a shit what it is."

"That's what she said," Alice called out, causing Lars to break into laughter. Bethany glared at the blonde, but said nothing as she turned her attention back to the menu.

"We don't have a KFC on Kuikawa Island, what would you recommend?"

"Going to Wendy's." Lars quipped, only to be ignored.

"The Famous Bowl is the best, it's mashed potatoes, gravy with corn and popcorn chicken on top. I can eat those all day!" Riku said cheerfully. He walked around the counter, heading towards the sink. "I'll help out, I've gone to KFC so much that I practically know what to do by heart."

"Hmm…"

"Something on your mind Alice?" Bethany asked, causing the blonde to look up.

"No… well yes. It's just… I've been thinking about a few personal things. About the Horizon Killing game. I know we aren't allowed to talk about it, but there are some things that I just don't understand."

"Well, unless you want an A for Alice branded on your hand, I would shut up about it. Not that I care, I think the smell of burning flash would be a nice pick me up."

"I can throw this vat of hot oil on your chest if that's what you want. Or hell, maybe me and Bethy can team up and burn you alive. We'll stop within an inch of your death, I'm sure Nyx wouldn't mind using her healing light to keep you breathing." the manakete said, glaring at the demonologist. Nyx sighed, shaking her head.

"Can we not do this? We were getting along just fine a second ago." the halfling said, her ever-changing eyes focusing on the group before her. "We have what it takes to be friends, after everything we've been through, can't we at least give it a chance? Even if it's just a little while?"

The others remained silent, with Lars facing away from the girl. He didn't say anything, instead, he focused on the lights of Mercy Hospital in the distance. Alice gave her a slow nod, earning a smile from the halfling.

"I'll give it a try… but if Lars starts behaving like a douche, then I want the right to punch him."

"Excuse me?" the man asked, glaring at the manakete.

"Seconded."

"Alice what the fuck?!"

* * *

**Location: ?**

**Time**: ?

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

"Nico, give me your hand!" Sayaka cried, reaching her hand over the edge of the roof. The former guesser gave a cry as she jumped up, snagging a hold of the idol's outstretched hand. She growled as she pulled the girl up. Nico let out a screamed as one of the infected grabbed a hold of her leg.

"AHH… It's got me!" she cried fearfully. She kicked her leg around, trying to free herself from its grasp.

"Shoot it, unless you wanna die!" the blue-haired girl cried. Nico fumbled for the gun at her waist, aiming right at the infected's head. She let out a yelp as its maws got close to her skin. A single gunshot was all it took for it to let go of her leg. Sayaka pulled her up, the two girls landing roughly on the roof of the building.

"Ugh... I am so sick of this shit." the guesser said softly, as she rolled onto her back, staring at the sky. Droplets of rain struck her glasses, but she didn't even care, not bothering to wipe the water away. She grabbed the sweater she had tied around her waist, using it to wipe the sweat from her chest and neck.

"Try fighting hordes of braindead feral animals who want a bite of your milky white flesh. And every single biteable part of it is exposed."

"Sayaka, I'm going, to be honest with you… I don't think I'm going to make it."

"Don't say that!" the idol spat, glaring at the silver-haired girl. "If you keep talking like that, then you will end up like one of those zombies. You have to stay positive, we'll get out of here just fine!"

"Why would I even bother? I'm just going to die again… there was no point in me using that stupid ticket. I should have just tossed it. It would have been better if I had just stayed a ghost." Nico said, forcing herself to sit up. She brushed the tears running down her face, taking her glasses off for a brief moment. "It might not happen right away, but it will soon… that sick choking feeling is going to wrap around my neck again and… I can't!"

Nico started hyperventilating, as she placed a hand on her neck. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, nails digging into her flesh. Sayaka rapidly sat up, crawling towards the girl, grabbing a hold of her face. She shook her a bit, causing her to squeak in surprise.

"Look at me Nico, look at me!" she demanded. Nico's eyes refocused, staring into the idol's soft blue ones. "You are not going to die here, you hear me? You've suffered enough, you and I spent 2 fucking years flash-frozen in a space pod. You and I went through the same killing game, and both died from it. But we are not going to let that happen to us, not for a 3rd time. Do you hear me?"

"I...I-" she stammered softly, shaking her head. "I can't okay? I don't deserve to live, not when Ashton died, not when Hikaru and Ren were lost to us. It should have been Tsumugi...she should have made it off the Titanic, ticket in hand. No useless little me, not the girl who might die in three steps from a random bear trap, or get shredded by some fucking zombie in an alleyway."

"But you won't," Sayaka said, wrapping her arms around the girl, hugging her tightly. She slowly patted her back, cradling her head lightly. "You are going to survive, okay? Tsumugi would want you to keep going. She was far from the best of us, she had a troubled road. I knew her before she fell to despair, and afterward too. I knew… deep in my heart that she didn't want to stay on this earth anymore."

"She… wanted to disappear?"

"She wanted to rest." the idol replied, pulling away from the hug. "She felt so guilty at what she had done that, she felt like she didn't deserve a second chance at life. That's why she didn't hunt for those tickets. Though… I do believe that a part of her was screaming at her, begging for that second chance at life. Maybe she realized that before she was killed, I'll never know… but what I do know, is that she wouldn't want you to sulk. She'd want you to live."

"Do you mean that? Truly?"

"Of course I do, Nico. She would… you are a sweet girl who deserves a second chance at life. Your life was taken away from you before you were able to live it. Don't take it for granted, okay?" Sayaka said softly. Nico nodded, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face.

"You're right… we both got a second chance, and we need to survive. For the ones that weren't able to make it off the ship and through their games." she said a grin on her face. "We'll make it out of here, I've got to stop second-guessing myself. Maybe it's time I ditch that stupid talent, all it ever did for me was bring me grief."

"Believe me, I discarded the title of 'Ultimate Pop Sensation' a long time ago. My talent doesn't matter to me, not as much as my own life anyway. Sayaka Maizono is dead to the world, I'm just… Sayaka right now." she said, sighing. She grabbed a hold of her rifle, ejecting the magazine. She frowned as she counted the bullets that remained. "I got 15 rounds left, this is my last magazine."

"I'm down to my pistol, I had to drop my shotgun," Nico said, reaching into her stocking for a magazine, she still had plenty left, but she wasn't confident enough in her aim to make full use of the bullets.

"We'll be fine." the idol said, forcing herself to her feet. She swept her hair to the side, glancing around for a brief moment. Turning around, she spotted Mercy Hospital not far from where they were. In fact, they were rather close to it. "Looks to me like we're a few blocks away, but we're gonna struggle without ammo. You'll have to take point from here Nico, at least until I can get more bullets."

"I...okay… I'll take point," she said softly. She pulled the slide of her gun, loading a round into the chamber, walking toward the nearby door. She grabbed a hold of the knob, slowly twisting it. The hallway was thankfully clear. She gestured for Sayaka to follow.

The apartment building thankfully had little infected dwelling within. It was nothing the two girls couldn't handle. A few perfectly timed shots brought them down, and the ones that weren't killed by Nico took a buttstock to the head, courtesy of Sayaka. The two of them made it down to the street, thankful that they didn't have to deal with many more infected. Several explosions had gone off on the other side of the city, leading them to believe that whoever was out there, they had been dealing with the crowd that had been chasing them not long ago.

"Hey Saya, how did you become so good with a rifle?" Nico asked softly. She paused for a moment, taking aim at a nearby infected. A single shot took it down, spraying the air with pink blood. "Ever since you got that, you've managed to take down every single infected that ran at us. Even that weird one with the tongue, a-and the fat one."

"My ex-girlfriend was a former member of Fenrir. She's the Ultimate Soldier… before the Tragedy, we used to hang out a lot. It was Makoto that brought us all together in the end, but we were pretty tightly knit before that. She decided it would be best for all of us to at least know how to use weapons. When she wasn't away on a mission, we went to her personal shooting range. Let's just say, I became very familiar with rifles."

"Oh… what was her name?"

"Mukuro Ikusaba… she's uh… Junko Enoshima's older sister. The one who started this whole thing, or at least… one of the major players in it. I don't even know anymore." the woman said with an exasperated groan. "All I know is that thanks to that bitch, the world went to shit, and I lost my life… twice."

"Things will get better, I'm sure." the former guesser said, a smile on her face. "And hey, when we get out of here, we can go look for them. I'm sure they're still alive."

"I." Sayaka paused, lowering her rifle. She didn't know what to say at the moment, hundreds of thoughts were drifting through her mind. The skies above rumbled loudly, causing her to look up. The rain picked up, starting to drench the two. "I think I'm not going to bother."

"Huh?" the girl mumbled, furrowing her brows. "What do you mean by that? Wouldn't you want to go back to them? Let them know that you are alive?"

Sayaka remained silent, as she started walking forward. Her heart was beating hard in her chest. It had been a while since she had felt this sick to her stomach. That choking feeling slowly creeping up her neck, stopping her from breathing. It was as if she was dying, and at the same time, she wasn't. She shuddered a bit as she walked, not noticing her vision blurring. She let out a soft gurgled cry, the tears spilling down her face.

"I can't," she said softly. "The Sayaka they knew is long dead… she died in Hope's Peak Academy, she died on Horizon. They've moved on… probably got married, had kids even. Why would they take me back? It's been 3 years… they're all much older… I'm just that girl who died."

"But you aren't! You gave me a pep talk earlier so I'll give you one too. You are going to meet them again, and you will tell them everything that's been happening. We've been friends for how long Saya? If I get to live and be happy, then you should too. We're going to find them and you are going to speak with them, understood?"

"I dunno Nico… what if my personal happiness lies elsewhere?" she asked curiously. She tightened her grip on her rifle, raising it to her shoulder when several zombies started running at them. 5 well-placed shots took them down, leaving her with 10 rounds. She glanced over her shoulder, a dejected look on her face. "What if… I don't want to ruin their happiness? What if I just… want to stay dead?"

"If that's what you truly want… then I won't stop you. I'm not sure what I am gonna do after I get out of here. I'm not sure if my family is alive or dead. My friends… the ones that were part of my class? They're all gone. Save the 5 that survived the Tranquility killing game."

"Not true… you've got Charlotte and Daisuke, and Alice." Sayaka said, sniffling. She placed a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder, giving her a wink. "You've got friends all around you!"

"Hmm… that's true." the silver-haired girl said. The two continued walking down the street, spotting an abandoned police cruiser on the side of the road. They moved toward it, quickly checking the trunk. Someone had left a pile of ammunition inside, making the two sigh with relief.

"Thank god, I was beginning to think I wasn't going to find more ammo."

"At least these magazines are interchangeable," Nico added, scooping up more magazines for her handgun. Sayaka reached into her satchel for her empty magazines, replacing them with the ones that were loaded with bullets. "You know, I've been thinking… about Alice."

"What about Alice?"

"She's… behaving quite oddly," she replied, sitting on the edge of the car. She grabbed a spare fanny pack and started filling it with magazines, making sure they all fit in her pistol before placing them in. "While we were on the Titanic, she approached me to talk about our time there, despite being told not to by Surrashakuma. She said a few things that didn't make sense to me."

"You know, now that you mention it, she did point something off to me. She said Hiyoko blew my head off before Shiori was killed. But to my knowledge, Shiori never died. She also said that Hikaru was the one that tried to kill Hayate, but that he ended up accidentally killing Raef instead. That lead to him being executed by being put in an airlock and having his body explode."

"Okay, that didn't happen. I know that for a fact, Raef was the reason Rei ended up doing what she did. He was the one that leads to my death in the first place. She was talking about how I accurately guessed Ichiro's dead, how he ended up slipping on an ice cube and landing on a knife. She also said Ringo was the first one to die, that Xialyn got away with his murder because it went unsolved."

The two girls remained silent, staring at the looming hospital. Its lights were shining brightly among the darker areas of the city. They jumped a bit at the audible gunshots that echoed through the air, being drowned out by distant roars. The two girls didn't really want to find out what the cause of that was. They stood up from the car, loading their guns with fresh magazines.

"Let's keep talking about Alice later, for now, let's focus on getting to the hospital before we get fucked by these zombies," Sayaka said, pulling the loading rod of her rifle. They started moving up the street, taking down the few infected that had walked in their direction.

"I'm starting to think this motive is bullshit… why would Kinsei Momota force us into this shit?" Nico mumbled, shoving an infected aside. Sayaka put it down, pulling her friend towards a nearby alleyway.

"What do you think all of this is for? We already suffered enough, do you think we were brought back to life just to be made to suffer more? Because honestly, I think that's why we were even revived."

"Honestly, I don't think Jibo was the one who revived us. I think that Kinsei was the one behind it all, Syd and Saino were the ones that were there when I awakened. But I was swiftly knocked out. Then we were brought to a warehouse where Kinsei decides to motivate us? I don't buy it for a second." she said, a look of disdain on her face. "Maybe he's the one that likes seeing people suffer."

"They all do, fucking despairs. Jibo Momota makes claims about bettering humanity, but the fucker turns around and does this shit to people. I will truly smile on the day he dies."

Everything was silent for a mere moment, the two girls passed by a street light when a loud screech filled their ears. The two broke into a sprint, heading towards the nearby store front, hoping to get inside the building. Sayaka grabbed the door handle, trying to pull it only to find it locked. Before she could shoot the glass, the horde was upon them.

"Fucking shit, cover me Nico!" she cried, opening fire on the crowd.

"I'm not that good with moving targets! I need my shotgun!"

"Well you don't have it, so make do with what you got!" the idol screamed over the gunfire. Nico shakily rose her weapon, opening fire. She nailed an infected woman in the shoulder, causing her to jolt back. She continued running, growling and screeching at the young woman.

"This is where I die isn't it?" the girl thought, as her gun clicked empty. She reached for a magazine, shoving it in her gun. She left off a single round, the slide jamming as it failed to eject the shell casing. "Ugh… shit, it's jammed!"

"Fuck, there are more coming. We need to do something!" Sayaka cried, bashing the nearest infected with the stock of her gun. She dropped the magazine, quickly replacing it. She raised her gun, just as a feral man grabbed a hold of the muzzle. She grit her teeth, pulling the trigger, the round flew through its neck, killing the one behind it. She shoved the man forward, clubbing it over the head with the weapon. "Nico, bust the glass, we can use this store as a base of sorts."

"I can't, my gun is still jammed!"

Sayaka sighed bowing her head. "I guess this really is our end. There goes our sappy pep-talks."

She closed her eyes, waiting for her death to come. A soft buzzing sound made her look up, just in time for all of the infected to literally explode. The force of the explosion knocked the girl off her feet. Blood and body parts flew in all directions, pieces of lungs and bowel falling around her. Nico let out a scream as a long slimy tongue wrapped around her waist. "HELP!"

Before she could be pulled away, the creature pulling her burst into green smoke. The silver-haired girl pulled the appendage off from around her waist, dropping to her knees. She panted a bit, rubbing her chest and waist from being squeezed tightly. A soft flick came from above, causing the two girls to look up.

" Well, ain't that a shitload of fuck?"

The voice came from a woman, who looked to be around twenty years of age. She had smooth, ivory-colored skin, littered with a few scratches. She was wearing a sleeveless halter top, which fit around her body rather tightly. The two girls noticed she lacked a visible bust, being quite flat in that regard. She wore a pair of camouflage shorts that hugged her waist and rear quite nicely. She wore a pair of black combat boots on her feet, the handle of a gun sticking out of the right one. The young woman had seafoam green hair, that was styled in a pixie cut. She had a pair of aviator glasses on her face, and a cigarette tucked into the corner of her lip. She took a drag from it, exhaling from her nose.

"You two sexy ladies seem like you are in a bind. Having a hard time dealing with the zombies?"

"We were before you came along to help us. I must thank you for your help, me and my friend are in your debt. However, we must be going. Mercy Hospital is nearby and we don't want to get caught in another horde." Sayaka said, helping Nico up to her feet. "We'll be heading out now." she continued, pulling her friend along. The girl had finally unjammed her pistol, allowing her to safely discharge it.

"Hey now, don't just leave!" the woman snapped, slinging her RPG over her shoulder. She jumped down from the roof, landing on the roof of a care. She shakily jumped off, landing hard on the street. She raced before the two, holding her arms out. "We're going to the same place, can't we just tag along?"

"I apologize, but the last time someone joined our group, they ended up turning traitor. I can't risk you joining us just for you to stab us in the back in the future." the idol said firmly, as she tried walking around the girl. She grabbed a hold of her arm, causing her to stop.

"Wait, I really need your-" she was cut off when Nico cocked her gun, pressing it to the woman's temple.

"Let my friend go. NOW." she hissed, pressing the firearm harder. "You don't know the shit that we have been through. The things we have seen, the fuckshit that has happened to us. If you value your life, you will heed my warning."

"Nico, it's alright… just put the gun down okay?" Sayaka said softly, looking directly into her eyes. Nico waited for the unknown woman to release her friend before lowering her gun. She backed away from her, keeping her gun ready to fire at a moments notice.

"I'm sorry… It's just… I've been here since the beginning. This entire city used to be filled with tourists until that bomb dropped."

"The bomb?" the guesser asked curiously. The woman nodded, rubbing her arm.

"It must have been… what… 8 weeks ago? This place was bustling, it was cut off from the mainland sure, but we were doing fine. The SCP was trying to get help from other places to transport the ones still here out of the island. They ordered a passenger liner to come get us. But we heard a few weeks after that it had sunk. It wasn't long after that… that the bomb dropped."

"What was in it?" Sayaka asked curiously. The woman gave her a deadpanned look, gesturing to all of the bullet-riddled bodies on the ground.

"This… some virus scientists called "The Green Flu" it was like something straight out of a video game. It was just a thick fog, we didn't think much of it, since the people that went to research it didn't even die. The bomb did nothing, but in the coming weeks, people started getting sick… it was… it was awful." the woman said, a sickly look on her face. "They started… mutating, eating each other. Some would just tear people apart, others would wait until they were vulnerable to kill them. Those… pouncing ones tore people apart with ease… I…"

Sayaka and Nico shared a look, silently gauging the woman's story. The guesser gave her a soft nod, gesturing for her to speak. The idol licked her lips, lowering her rifle. "May we have your name at least?"

"My name? It's Rebecca, you can call me Becky though. It's nice to meet you two… say, aren't you that J-Pop Star… what was her name again?" the woman paused, scratching her head in thought.

"Sayaka Mai-"

"Rika Nyan Nyan!" the girl cried with a snap of her fingers, causing Sayaka to quirk a brow.

"What?"

"Yeah… that's totally you isn't it? The cute cat girl that bounces around on stage!"

"Hell no! I am not like that stupid blonde bimbo! What the fuck, are you seriously comparing me to her? That stupid bitch who needs to take a bath more than once a week?" Sayaka exclaimed. Causing Rebecca to frown.

"Oh… are you not Rika Nyan Nyan? My mistake… I'm not that good with J-Pop. Let's uh… let's keep walking towards the hospital alright?"

"Yeah, that would be a great idea," Nico said, deciding to take the lead. Sayaka was fuming, her face had turned completely red in anger. She shuddered, looking ahead. "Note to self, do not compare Sayaka to Rika Nyan Nyan."

* * *

**Location: Kentucky Fried Chicken**

**Time: ?**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

"Oh my god, this is so fucking good!" Bethany said, shoveling more mashed potatoes into her mouth. She didn't care that it was boiling hot -to her, it was actual mildly warm- she just wanted to sate her hunger. She finished the bowl she had been eating, placing it next to her as she grabbed her 3rd, already digging into it. "This is exactly what sex feels like~"

"Too much information Bethy, far too much information," Alice said as she took a bite from the fried chicken thigh on her plate. She licked the grease off of her luscious lips, shoving several spoonfuls of coleslaw into her mouth. "Mmm… this is the best thing I've ever had."

"Tch… after several days of eating nothing but virtual food and canned shit, fried chicken is a fucking 5-star meal," Lars said, downing half a glass of Sweet Lightning Mountain Dew. "I might not see eye to eye with you Mariana, but you know how to roast a delicious cock!"

"Thank… you?" the woman said, shaking her head. "I'm glad that you all like it, but it was Riku that made it. He figured out where the spices were kept. And he made a lot of it too, we can take it with us to the hospital."

"If Bethany doesn't mind carrying it all of course." the neko said, earning an odd look from the Pele. "You can keep it hot and fresh, like a pizza hut carrying bag. That way it'll get to the others nice and hot!"

"Huh… well, I guess I don't mind! Consider it done, by the grace of Atua, their food will be nice and hot!" she said happily, her breasts jiggling slightly as she spoke. She immediately went back to eating her food, groaning in pleasure. "Oh… If I could only marry this delicious meal, I would."

"Girl you need to breathe, breathe!" Nyx said, holding back a giggle as she set down her cleaned chicken bones. "That food isn't going anywhere, you wouldn't want to give yourself a stomach ache right?"

"I have no eaten anything this good in generations, let me feast!" the islander cried out, aiming her potato and gravy covered fork at the halfling. She wiggled it in a threatening matter. "Focus on your own food and I'll focus on mine!"

"Well… at least she's not ranting about her false god, I'll give her that. You did good kitten, now be a dear and get daddy another refill would you?" the demonologist said, holding his cup out to Riku. He sighed, snagging the cup from his hand, walking over to the fountain.

"You know… we cooked for your lazy ass, the least you could do is get your own fucking drink." Mariana said, glaring at Lars who shrugged, not responding. Alice sighed, shaking her head as she glanced out the plate-glass windows.

"I wonder how the others are doing… that chopper told us to head to Mercy Hospital but… do you think the others heard it too?"

"I'm certain they did. I mean, it's a fucking chopper with a blaring announcement that rings throughout the buildings." Bethany said, burping loudly as she finished her 3rd famous bowl. She patted her stomach for a second, reaching for a fourth. "They'll probably make it over here just fine."

"Heh… makes me wonder what the others are doing? Do you think any of them are dead?" Riku asked curiously, handing Lars his drink back. "We are fighting zombies… we barely survived that fucking huge one that came at us."

"Let's not get morbid okay? I'm sure the others are just fine. In fact, they might come around the corner at any moment!" Alice said cheerfully. As if on cue, they all heard something strike the glass rather hard. They turned around, spotting a figure just outside the doors. They were covered in copious amounts of blood, a wide-eyed look on their face.

"Who the fuck is that?"

"Shoot them!" Lars cried, grabbing a hold of Mariana's gun, taking aim at the window. "They'll kill us all!"

"Guys, it's Kanemoto." Nyx deadpanned, walking towards the door, she used her telekinesis to move the tables aside. "I mean really, who else do you know that wears a Pokemon baseball cap?" she said, opening the door. The girl shakily took a step in, falling onto her knees.

"I need."

"What?" the halfling asked, squatting down to her level. Kanemoto grabbed a hold of her shirt, peering into her eye. Her eyelid twitched slightly, as she slowly opened her mouth.

"I need… some tendies," she said softly. Nyx gave her a couple of slow blinks, brushing her arm off and standing up, heading back toward her table.

"Is something the matter?" Mariana asked.

"She wants some chicken tenders." the girl said, taking a bite from her fried chicken. She smacked her lips as she ate. "I'm not gonna make them for her."

"Kanna, sweetheart what happened to you?" Alice asked as she started checking her over. Her combat training had kicked into high gear, as she looked for injuries. "Are you hurt? Did you get scratched? Bitten?"

"I'm fine," she said, forcing herself to her feet. "I haven't slept and haven't eaten either… after what happened, I couldn't rest easy. Greninja kept me alive as we moved through the city, but it's all tuckered out. I've been flying around on Salamence, but I didn't account for those giant zombies and their throwing abilities."

"Yeah, those things suuuck," Lars said, burping loudly. He cracked his back, slamming his cup onto his table. "But hey, it could be worse. It could have chopped your head off."

"Dude, really?" Riku hissed, crossing his arms. "You are such a douche bag!"

"I'm sorry, was that too soon?"

"Ignore his dumb ass. We've got some food prepared for everyone, hurry up and eat while I make you some tenders." Mariana said, gesturing for the various buckets of food. Kanemoto grinned, walking towards the table.

"Maybe she should take a bath or something, she's covered in blood after all," Nyx said, gesturing to her clothing. "We wouldn't want to get infected with whatever this virus is."

"Y-You're right, is there a bathroom? I'll have Dewgong hose me off in there."

"Around the corner, I'll have your tenders ready by the time you are out." the manakete said. Kanemoto quickly hurried into the bathroom, not wanting to waste more time. Riku watched her go, frowning.

"What the hell did she go through?"

"Who knows? She was probably swamped by infected… though with her Pokemon, she has an advantage at least. That's probably why she's covered in blood, she got crowded, and had to fight her way out of the crowd. She didn't have a weapon with her either." Alice said softly. Bethany shoveled the last of her food into her mouth, finally satisfied.

"Maybe we can get her to tell us later?"

"We can't keep wasting time here. You all wanna meet with the other idiots, right? I myself need to get off this salty spit of land. That chopper is our only way out… it won't be long until something happens." Lars said firmly. He looked around, giving the others are glare. "Once she is fed, we are leaving. And if you don't want to come with me, then you can sit here and rot."

"Who died and made you the leader of this group?"

"I would do a better job than you. In fact, I believe I would be a far better leader than even Diego or Daisuke. I would lead us into greatness, while they've been leading us into despair, and the ground."

"I would never follow you, Lars. You are far less of a man than either of them, they actually care about all of us, while you only care about yourself. If you wanna head out by yourself, feel free too. I'm not stopping you." Mariana said, glaring at the man. He grabbed a hold of his cup, walking over to the fountain and filling it to the brim.

"I think… I'll take you up on that offer," he said. He grabbed a hold of his book and walked towards the door. "Sayonara losers, hope you all turn into those lickers that grab you from above. Maybe you'll join Ash in the afterlife if one of them snaps your neck. Seeing as the only thing he can drown is in your pussy. Oh, wait… he actually drowned on the ship of dreams, what a loser." With that, the Demonologist took his leave, disappearing from sight. Mariana grinded her teeth together in anger. Her hand burst into flames, the stone around her neck glowing a brilliant blue color.

"Ignore him, Mariana, that pillock isn't worth it. Just know that Ashton is most likely looking down on you and smiling. You've been keeping us together this entire time. You made us food, you are a far better leader than that bumbling spit fuck will ever be."

"Thanks, Alice… I'm not bothered by what he said. It's more that he brought Ashton into it… I really miss him." she said, bowing her head. The stone around her neck stopped glowing as the flames died down. "I feel like I failed him."

"You didn't!" Bethany said cheerfully, standing up from her seat. She gave the girl a tight, almost bone-crushing hug. "You two shared a lovely night together, and got to know each other. It's a shame that he didn't make it from the Titanic alive. But at least you two got to share your feelings, for however short it was."

"Not just that, you got a memorable dicking too!" Riku said. The four girls gave him a glare, causing him to down his Mountain Dew, focusing on the tiles instead.

"Real classy Riku, real fuckin classy," Nyx mumbled under her breath. "Let's just focus on getting Kanna her food so we can get out of here?"

"Right… I'll get right on that."

Mariana walked back into the kitchen with a sigh. She didn't know what time it was, but she just wanted to sleep. She knew the day was far from over. She just wondered if she was actually going to make it off the island alive, or, if she was fated to sink below the waves like the Unsinkable Titanic. She could only hope that Ashton was looking down on her with a smile on his face, rather than resentment.

_**xxx**_

"I take it you've been paying close attention to what's happening?"

"Of course I have, I'm contracted to follow you am I not?" the demoness said, glaring at the man. He nodded, turning his back to her. His eyes peered upward at the building that made up Mercy Hospital. He could see a moving speck high above them, no doubt it was the SCP Chopper that had guided them at first.

"I've gotten a bit of an idea."

"How so?" the woman asked, encircling her hand around the hilt of her sword. She pushed it slightly with her thumb, slowly drawing the blade. She quickly shoved it back in place when the man turned around, though thankfully he didn't hear it.

"We take away their hope of course!" the man said smugly. "They want to get off this island so badly they can taste it. So let's entertain ourselves and remove the only means of escape out of the equation. Besides, something tells me this city still hasn't thrown everything it has at us. There's a lot of potential here." he said, glancing around.

"You are correct on that front, I suppose." the woman said, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. She looked at it with disinterest, frowning. "You do know there are some very dangerous things hiding in this city correct?"

"Of course I do. As a demonologist, I am able to not only summon demons but feel what's on the spectral plane. Ghosts, demons, and creatures from Lovecraftian horror are easy for me to sense. Though I believe there is something here that is far more dangerous than any of us think. Far more dangerous than even these stupid zombies." he said, holding his hand out. He formed a blackish blue orb of magic, throwing it at an infected that ran at him. Its head exploded, body catching flames right after.

"Then you know your very life could be in danger right?" Andras asked firmly, earning a nod from the man.

"Mhmm… however, I know you'll keep me safe. After all, you want to kill your master, it is your nature, meaning anyone that tries to kill me, will be felled by you." Lars said, taking a step forward. A loud screech filled his ears as a hoodie-wearing infected pounced at him. Andras swiftly moved forward, slicing its head off with a slash from her sword. She spun it around her hand, placing it back in its scabbard.

"Well met… you finally understand your fate."

"I do… however, if I die you'll stay in that body. The rain isn't enough to turn you into a siren, but what would happen if someone threw a bucket of water at you?" he asked, sneering. Andras glared at the man, but said nothing. "Good… let us go, the fog is starting to roll in, and we need for it to get thicker. That's when the real fun begins~"

_**xxx(End of Act 3)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects 18**

**A/N: Well there you have it, this chapter marks the end of this little posting spree. I've been working on Chapter 3 for a while now so Act 4 is ready to post whenever it is I feel like it. I'll most likely wait until I finish Chapter 3 in its entirerty before posting act 4. This will give me time to work on Chapter 4. I really hope you've all enjoyed this chapters so far, I had a blast writing them haha. Well, this is it for now, I'll see you all soon!  
**


	36. C3 Act 4: No Mercy

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 3

Act 4: No Mercy

_**xxx**_

**Location: ?**

**Time: ?**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

"Are you fucking kidding me? Dais you can't be serious!"

"I am Shiro, there's no place to go but down here. Not to mention, there are bound to be less infected down here." the man said, as he, Miyaki and Haruna lifted the heavy sewer cap. The five of them had been chased by infected, being lead down to a waste processing facility. The path to the streets had been blocked, leaving only one place to go.

"But it's the fucking sewers!" the girl cried, a look of disgust on her face. She shuddered looking at her shoes, which had been covered in blood. "Look at my shoes! My cute leg warmers and stockings! They are meant to keep my smooth legs safe and clean, they are not for me to walk through knee deep shit!"

"Oh stop complaining, do you think I actually _want _to walk through shit? Of course not, but I have to if I want to keep breathing." Miyaki cried, aiming her MP5 down into the hole. She shone her light around for a moment, sighing. "Well, it's clear for the most part. Aside from the smell, we should be fine. Just uh… don't light up any smokes, we might explode."

"Well… I would say this is my first rodeo, but after learning how to use the onboard processing plant of a cruise ship, you sort of get used to this smell." Haruna said, kneeling down before the entrance. She slung her shotgun over her shoulder, deciding to go first.

"Alright Mackenzie, you're next, Shiro you're after her." Daisuke said, turning back toward the door, he rose his rifle, popping two rounds into the infected that were running at them. Their bodies fell to the ground, blood spilling from their wounds.

"Ugh… do I have too?"

"Yes Shiro, stop complaining." the circus performer cried. Shiro huffed audibly, stomping her foot on the ground. Mackenzie didn't utter so much as a peep as she went into the manhole. As Shiro prepared to go down, the five of them heard something new. The sounds of gurgling.

"Do you guys… hear that?" the executioner asked, just before she jumped down. Daisuke looked around for a moment, taking a few steps forward. Just as he did, a loud screech filled his ears, followed by the audible patter of feet.

"Oh great, another horde. Shiro get down there, me and Miyaki will cover you!" he said, peering down his sight. The first infected turned the corner, and he opened fire, letting out several bursts as more started pouring into the management facility.

"You don't need to tell me twice!" the girl said, jumping the rest of the way down. The two teamed up, covering each other when they needed to reload. As they continued thinning the crowd, the gurgling got louder and more intense, causing the two to back away slightly.

"What the hell is that?" the storyteller mumbled, as he replaced his magazine. He took over for Miyaki, who fumbled with hers for a brief moment. She looked up in time to see a few pieces of glass from the shattered skylight fall down in front of them. Shifting her gaze, she let out a scream when she saw what was looming over them.

Before either of them could do anything, a severely overweight infected landed before them. It was a ghastly looking thing, with a mop of brown hair on its head. It had beady yellow eyes and sickly green skin, with open wounds all over its body. It had large tumors and boils all over its face, stomach and skin, its arms oozing a disgusting yellow pus. A loud gurgle escaped its lips, as it projectile vomit all over the two teenagers, causing them to scream in disgust.

"AUGH! WHAT THE FUCK!?"

"I haven't this much puke on me since the elephants barfed on me during childbirth." Miyaki said, brushing the vomit off herself. She shoved the fat zombie back, placing a well times shot through its stomach, causing it to burst. The force of the explosion was enough to knock them back, slathering them in bile, blood and guts. "God that's even worse!"

"Uh guys… there are more zombies coming!" Mackenzie cried, causing the two to look up, having gotten the vomit out of their faces. They both let out a surprised cry, turning around rapidly, moving towards the manhole.

"Fucking run!" the storyteller shouted as he grabbed a hold of the manhole cover, he dragged it as best as he could but was unable to block the hole entirely. The man ended up slipping from the hole, landing in a pile of fecal matter. Thankfully his rifle wasn't damaged as he got up, jumping down onto the water below.

"Oh yuck! You got it on my leg you fucker!" Shiro cried out, only to be ignored by the man who opened fire at the infected pouring into the sewers form above.

"Start moving back, follow the arrows. That map we found say there was a manhole that led to Mercy Hospital, I'll cover you!"

"I'll stay here and provide support, Miyaki, get Mackenzie and Shiro back, once the crowd thins out, we'll meet up with you." Haruna said, reaching into her bag for the map they had found. "I marked an area that is a designated rest stop, we'll meet there. Go!" she said, shoving the blonde back. She raised her shotgun, blasting a 'Hunter' in the face just as it got ready to pounce. It's feeble cry was drowned by the gunshots.

Miyaki gave her a nod, pushing the two girls along, not daring to look back. Daisuke took a few steps back, replacing his spent magazine, before slinging more shots down range at the horde. The vomit on his skin had started to dry out, enough for the crowd to start thinning out at least.

"Haruna, how are you doing on ammo?" the man asked, noticing she was having trouble reloading. She pulled the pump of her shotgun forward, loading several shells into the tube.

"About 19. How are you doing?" she asked pulling the trigger. She grunted a bit as the stock struck her shoulder. It was sore from all the use she had been giving it, but she wasn't one to complain. "This crowd must have put a damper on all of your bullets."

"I got 3 fifty-round magazines left after this one. I can't keep wasting them like this, we need to figure out a plan for when we get to the hospital. If we gotta climb it all the way up, we're gonna have a bad time."

"I know… I can only pray that Reukra and the others are alright." the pinkette said, swallowing her worry. She continued shooting at the infected, hoping they would thin out before she ran out of shotgun shells.

* * *

**Location: Mercy Hospital, Emergency Room Entrance**

**Time: 5:45 PM**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

"I can't believe we managed to make it here unscathed! I'm so glad everyone is alright!" Nyx said cheerfully, clasping her hands together. "Oh it's been such a long time since I've been to a hospital, I almost missed the smell of rubbing alcohol."

"I don't." Riku mumbled softly, as he reclined in the chair that was brought in the corner.

His eyes shifted across the room, seeing the rest of their group, eating the food they had brought from KFC. The back room behind the Emergency counter had been turned into a safe house of sorts, with two iron doors being bolted into the wall. A nearby clock had also provided them with the time, all of them being surprised that they had spent an entire day fighting infected. There was a vending machine that had been left unlocked for anyone who needed cold drinks, along with food, water and extra supplies. Whoever had been staying there had also left quite a heavy amount of artillery behind, including high powered rifles, shotguns, sub-machine guns and pistols. There was also enough ammunition for everyone to restock what they had lost. The only ones that were currently eating where those from Diego's group, as well as Bethany who was currently scarfing down her 6th Famous Bowl, she had eaten one before they had left the restaurant. Kanemoto was keeping watch by the hospital entrance doors, her Gardevoir ready to blast anyone with a Shadow Ball. Charlotte on the other hand stood at the front, her face resting against the door frame as she peered out of the barred windows. She let out a sigh, twirling a strand of hair around her finger tip.

"You know sweetheart, you aren't going to have much energy if you don't eat anything," Dalila said softly, causing the pinkette to look back. Seisha had eaten two buckets of chicken by himself, and was currently taking a nap. Diego was busy with Reukra, the two men loading their empty magazines and shooting the breeze. The dyad placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile. "Daisuke is a fighter… I'm certain he's going to be just fine."

"I know… I just can't help but worry." she said softly. She turned around to fully face her friend, sighing. "Tell me Lila… do you feel this way when Diego isn't with you? Like your heart is about to leap out of your throat?"

"To tell you the truth? Yes," the dark skinned girl said, rubbing her arm in embarrassment. "It's odd isn't it? How despair can drive people together?"

"Mhmm. That's the reason I feel so strongly for Daisuke… he's like, my storybook prince. The one who got me out of the drudgery and made me a better person. Which is weird because I never read any books with princes in it." the siren said, earning a giggle from Dalila.

"Oh come on, you must have at least read 'The Little Mermaid' as a child."

"No… but I did watch the movie, I felt it was too cheesy for a movie though. A prince falling in love with a girl who's a literal fish out of water? Someone who is that naturally beautiful? I don't think that stuff happens in real life." Charlotte said, subconsciously tugging on her ribbon.

"You'd be surprised." her friend replied softly. She focused on the ribbon behind the pinkette's head, as she had turned to look back out the door. "That's a lovely ribbon Charlotte, what's it made out of, silk?"

"Yes, actually. This ribbon means a lot to me." she replied, leaning back against the door, a far off look flashing over her face. "It was part of my mom's nightgown. I told you that I was homeschooled right?"

"Yep, you mentioned it briefly."

"Ah… okay good. Well it wasn't always like that, at one point I did go to school. I was bullied a lot though, since my parents are an interacial couple. My mom wanted me to feel comfortable, but I didn't want to go to school without her. So that night, she cut up her favorite nightgown and made me this ribbon." she replied. She wiped the stray tear from her face, taking a deep breath. "She figured, if she couldn't be there with my physically, she'd be there symbolically. I wear it everywhere I go, and haven't parted with it since. Even after her death, it's the only thing I have left of her."

"Oh Charlotte, that's so sweet. I'm sorry for your loss though, I know what it feels like to lose a parent. My own mother is very sick, we've had a few close calls with her, and she almost died on me once. So I know what it's like to worry." the dryad said softly. She brushed some hair out of her face, glancing toward the window. "The most prized possession I got from my mother is Salimba, my stuffed meerkat. It used to be hers before she gave it to me. I've basically given it to Seisha for the time being."

The two spared a glance at the sleeping Samebito, who was clutching both Mr. Bitey and Salimba in his grasp. Dalila let out a giggle, sighing contently. "He reminds me so much of my siblings. I've basically become a mother to them, since our own is so sick and tired."

"That's a good thing Lila. That means you'll be a great mom when you've got your own kids!" the pinkette said cheerfully. Dalila stiffened a bit, bowing her head slightly.

Charlotte noticed her change in demeanor. This was something she hadn't really seen in Dalila before. Usually she was a very cheerful person. Now however, it was different. The siren gave her a once over, noticing several things she hadn't seen before. Her shoulder had a ghastly burn mark, barely hidden by the leafy green dress she was wearing. She had a fleck of hair covering her left eye as well, under that bit of hair, she could see fleshy burn marks. Unlike the avatar she had on the Titanic, her actual skin color was a darker green color, as if her skin was filled with chlorophyll, and seeing as she was a dryad, that would make sense. Charlotte lifted her hand ever so slightly, brushing her hair aside. Dalila said nothing as the woman exposed her eye, along with the horrid burn mark she had been hiding.

"What… what happened to you?"

"I'd rather not talk about it right now."

"Dalila… whatever happened to you, you have to tell someone. I can tell you are hurting, you find comfort in taking care of others. That's why you were so worried for Seisha, and why you were hesitant to start anything with Diego. If you aren't ready to tell him, then at least tell me. I'm here for you, whenever you need me." Charlotte said. The girl nodded, looking down at the floor.

"I did something bad… my father was a bad person. He didn't take care of me and my mother, or our siblings. In fact, he left us after a while. The income was becoming tight, and our village was going through a severe drought. It was hard for crops to grow, my parents started having a fallout. My father decided that it was time for me to get a 'real job' rather than go to the local school to learn."

The dryad became tense as she struggled to speak. Charlotte placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light comforting squeeze. She took a shaky breath, giving the siren her full attention, and making sure the others weren't listening in on their conversation. "His idea of a real job was… prostitution."

"I'm sorry?" the pinkette asked, a look of shock on her face. "I don't think I heard you correctly, did you say… p-prostitution?"

"Yeah." Dalila quietly replied, squeezing her eyes shut. A stray tear ran down her right cheek, which she quickly brushed away. "It was awful… every single day for a year, I had to put up with it. We were poor, we needed the money. I always justified it with that… but I just couldn't handle it. I felt useless, like I was just someone's sex toy. A girl is supposed to give herself to the man that she loves, not some random fat bastard with a thousand shillings."

"You poor thing." Charlotte said, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. "You didn't deserve to be forced to do that!"

"I know… but it was for my family, because I wanted my siblings to have a good education, and I wanted my mom to rest easy. I don't want to talk about this anymore, I promise I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Agreed, just know that I'll be here for you. We've been through so much shit recently that you're practically my sister. Speak to me whenever you'd like, about anything." the siren said softly, giving her another reassuring squeeze.

"So… you and Haruna?" Diego asked softly, as he continued loading bullets into his empty magazines. He and Reukra were sitting in a quiet corner of the room, far from the group that was in a state of sleep or suffering from a food coma. Most of them were sleeping and recovering the energy they had wasted getting to the hospital.

"Huh? Oh uh… yeah." the boy said, rubbing the back of his neck. He held back the flush on his face. "She's been super sweet. I've kinda had a crush on her since we met, though I am kind of nervous about being with her."

"Why do you say that? Don't tell me you are second guessing yourself." the man said. Reukra set the magazine he had finished loading down, grabbing an empty one.

"It isn't that, it's just-" he stopped, groaning as he pushed the bullet in with all of his strength. It _clicked _into place, making him smile. "Well have you seen her? Haruna Shirai is beautiful, she's got those cute pink drills, an amazing body, a cute voice, pretty eyes. She's the most wonderful girl I've ever met. But me? I'm just a dumpy momma's boy with severe daddy issues. She's way out of my league, I don't deserve her."

Diego frowned, not exactly knowing what to say. He clapped the man's shoulder, giving him a firm shake. "Don't say that bud. That whole 'she's way out of my league' statement is pure bullshit. No one is out of anyone's league. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all, and I find you quite handsome if I say so myself. No homo."

"Yes, no homo indeed." the duplicator quickly said, chuckling. He sighed, grabbing another case of bullets, tearing the box open. "I dunno man… I feel inadequate. I was so frightened when we were on the Titanic, frightened that she wouldn't accept me. She could tell that I was so attached to my mom that she literally pulled me away from her. If she hadn't… maybe my mom…"

The duplicator shook his head, forcing his eyes shut. He could feel another part of his body starting to grow from his shoulder. He focused on his power, stopping the head from sprouting. This time, he was able to hold it back, effectively stopping it from causing an outburst. Diego noticed the strain on his face, and figured out what was happening. He grabbed a bottle of water from the nearby vending machine, handing it to him.

"Do you blame her?"

"W-what?" the orange haired boy asked. His eyes snapped open as he glared at the Ultimate Eldritch. "Why the hell would you fucking ask me that?"

"Because you seem conflicted. On one hand, you have a wonderful girl at your side, one that likes you, and by the looks of it, you like her too. But on the other hand, if she hadn't pulled you away from your mom, she would have had tea with you two. Shidou wouldn't have killed her and she'd still be here. But can you assure she would have lived through the sinking?"

"I-I…"

"Could you ensure that she would survive through what's going on now? We don't know where Rei, Sayaka and Nico are. Not to mention Nessa escaped and Maria and Miyuki are MIA as well. How do we know they're not dead?"

"We don't… and I get what you mean it's just." the young man paused, gathering his thoughts. "I broke a promise Diego… and it's been eating me alive ever since I remembered it. I feel like a total piece of shit too."

"Hmm… well if you could elaborate, I might be able to give you some advice," he said, leaning back against the wall. He grabbed the box shaped magazines, stacking them all together in neat rows. "Keep in mind though, I'm not that much older than you so this advice may be mierda."

"Well… it's about this girl. She was my best friend growing up, we did everything together. She was really weird too. She liked taking pictures and would always have a camera around with her. When I went to school, we were asked by our teacher to pick someone in the class and make a finger painting. The other kids bullied me a lot, called me 'Little Lightbulb' because of my hair. She didn't though… in fact, she liked the picture, even though she said it sucked."

"Seems to me like the makings of a great friendship, hehe." the Mexican boy said, earning a smile from Reukra, who nodded.

"Yep. She was the best friend I could have ever asked for, she was sweet, cute and liked a lot of odd things. I helped her take pictures whenever possible, she really liked it too. But she also talked a lot about her father, and how he never thought her talent was 'enough' for him. We were sitting at her favorite flower field when she told me she was moving to America."

"Oh… I am… sorry to hear that." Diego said, scratching his cheek. Though he knew the answer to the next question, he decided to ask it anyway. "Did you ever see her again?"

"No." he replied, setting down the magazine he had been working on. He grabbed another one and a handful of bullets, starting the process over. "She was being forced to go into one of those 'talent preparation schools' like Hope's Peak Elementary, which prepared students in order to go into Hope's Peak. My guess is that she was being trained to go into Hope Hills Prep."

"I see… it's a shame that it happened to you. Losing a friend so early in life is awful… I can't say that I've ever had a friend like that, aside from my sister." he replied firmly. He looked up from his work, giving the boy a questioning look. "What was her name?"

"Sasha, her name is Sasha. She had the makings of an Ultimate Photographer, and is most likely one right now. The last day we hung out, we made a promise, that we would make it to our respective talent schools and graduate. Once we had official titles, we would meet up again. I gave her a carnation and a kiss as a promise. I only remembered it because mom was telling Haruna about my childhood. I feel so bad." the boy said, downing half of his water bottle. "If Haruna finds out… what do you think she'd do?"

"Do you want my honest opinion?" the Mexican boy asked, earning a nod from Reukra. "I believe you should tell Haruna about it. She's a graduate from Hope Hills Preparatory Academy right? Or at least a Senior, given her age. Maybe she met this Sasha girl and she could tell you."

"Oh I could never! I feel like I would betray Haru. She's been so sweet and kind to me, I don't want to lose her too! She let me sleep on her lap Diego, her lap!" the boy said, flushing. "My nose was buried in her-"

"Demasiada informacion, mi amigo." the boy snapped in Spanish, causing the orange haired lad to stop. "Look… if you really like Haruna, then you have to be upfront with her. She is head over heels for you, a single look at her face is enough to tell. But if you also like this Sasha girl and want to find her, then you have to let Haruna know. Don't string her along."

"You're right… I should come clean to Haru about this." he said, leaning back against the wall. He focused on the ceiling above them, the distant groans filling the mostly silent room. "Besides, I'm sure Sasha has forgotten about me and our promise. It's been such a long time, that I doubt she even remembers… heh… she probably tossed that flower the moment it died."

"It tends to happen. If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be. You got a good thing with Haruna though, she's a sweetheart. I can tell she has a lot of issues though, especially around larger crowds. She's been doing well, but I remember how particularly nervous she was during our early days here."

"She has severe social anxiety, and likes hanging out in quiet places. That's why the First Class reading and writing room was her favorite. It was so nice and peaceful there. She told me that the hostess club she worked at usually had people that requested her by name. Apparently she was the Sparkler of "Stardust Sparklers". She put the place on the map after 3 months of working there." Reukra said, a sigh escaping his lips. "She's perfect, in every way possible. That cute giggle of hers, the way she fiddles with her locket when she's embarrassed, that cute pout she gives me when I annoy her. Even the way she tugs her hair when she's nervous is cute."

"Oh man, you got it bad." Diego said, chuckling. "I can't say I'm not the same though, me and Lila got together on the Titanic too. However, there is something about her that worries me. Especially with the injury to her eye."

"Her eye?" the boy asked curiously, glancing over at the dryad. She and Charlotte had been talking about something, but he hadn't been able to hear what. "What's wrong with her eye?"

"It looks burned… like her eye is fine, but it seems to me like she can't see out of it. I noticed this on the Titanic. Whenever I approached her from the right, she couldn't see me. Earlier, I gave her a kiss on the cheek and tried to swipe her hair away but she told me to stop. I'm really worried… what could have caused such a ghastly injury?"

"Hmm." the boy shrugged, not knowing what to say. "She'll tell you eventually, she trusts you after all." he continued, clearing his throat. "Hey Diego… how do you know when it's right to… you know… ask for sex?"

"Huh? Aren't you a little too young for that?"

"Well… I might be but… with how things are going on, me and Haruna might not make it out alive. I want to have one special moment with her. I'm sure she's had sex before, she's a lot older so she's definitely got some experience. It's just weird you know, I can't go up to here and be like, 'let's have sex' especally since we just got together."

Diego nodded, finishing off his Root Beer. He tossed the bottle into the nearby trash can humming to himself as he thought things out. He didn't exactly know what to say, but he did remember something his sister had told him once. She was always looking out for her brother, so she made it her mission to look out for him. He nodded to himself, turning to the boy.

"Reukra, you don't have to ask Haruna for anything. The two of you will know when you are ready for that step. Despair drives people to do a lot of things. Especially in intense situations… we will get out of here, of that I am certain. There are things that should take the back burner… let her decide that, don't let your hormones get the better of you, okay kiddo?"

"Alright… you are totally right. I should think with my big head and not the little one… it makes it hard though. After spending the night with my face buried in her waist, I woke up with a raging hard on. Do you know how awkward it was to cover that up?" he asked firmly. He brushed a hand through his hair, sighing audibly. "I should have been born a girl, that way I wouldn't have to deal with awkward boners."

"Ah… but then you wouldn't be able to please Haruna would you? When the time comes, I'm sure you'll give it to her good. Make me proud kid, and make sure you wear protection. Don't just spray and pray, the last thing you need is to get her knocked up while in this shithole."

"AH!" Riku shouted, a loud gunshot echoed through the room. Everyone jumped as they saw the boy holding up his Beretta, having aimed it at the door. A bloodied arm was hanging through the bars, streaks of pink blood running down the walls. "Uh… sorry about that, it surprised me."

"Who the fuck gave him a gun?" Mariana snapped angrily.

"Whozza? Whut?" Bethany mumbled, as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She had fallen asleep at some point. She stretched her limbs, popping her back loudly. Her vision cleared, and she locked eyes with her half eaten famous bowl. She squealed, grabbing a hold of it. "Come to momma you sexy beast!"

"Ugh… I dunno what's worse, Bethany speaking about Atua at length, or her worshipping the Famous Bowl as if it were a god."

"Both." everyone cried in unison, going unanswered by the Pele, who was busy scarfing down her food.

* * *

**Location: Mercy Hospital: Main Entrance**

**Time: 6:00 PM**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

"Fuck me man… of all the goddamn things to happen." Daisuke spat, glaring at the crowd of infected that had surrounded them. After they had left the sewers, the group had finally made it to Mercy Hospital. The main entrance had been completely deserted, large coach buses were being used to block the main road.

Everything had been going fine, until someone accidentally tipped a car alarm. That of course alerted a horde of infected, forcing them onto the roof of a nearby building. That wouldn't have been bad, but the building itself was across the street from the hospital entrance. Worse yet, the building itself was nowhere near the others. It was a single story tall with a flat roof, a house perhaps? They didn't know. All they knew was that they were surrounded by hundreds of them, just screeching and trying to climb up. They were completely out of ammunition, and had resorted to using their guns as clubs.

"Well, it could be worse. We could be stuck on a sinking ship with no means of saving ourselves right?" Shiro asked, earning a glare from Mackenzie. "What?"

"Don't be a dickhead Shiro. We lost friends on the Titanic, why the fuck would you think it's appropriate to make a joke right now?"

"Jesus fuck woman, I was trying to lighten the mood."

"WELL IT ISN'T FUCKING WORKING!" the painter screamed. She swung her crowbar at an infected that managed to get onto the roof, its body crumpling into a heap and falling onto the ground. "Ahh… my fucking arm." she hissed, clutching her injured arm, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"We need to get Mackenzie to the hospital, before those wounds fully reopen. I don't know shit about stitching, but if we don't seal them soon, she might bleed to death." Daisuke said.

"I could probably stitch them closed." Miyaki said, glancing at her arm where her stitches were still visible. "I think I need to cut mine at some point."

"Yeah well you won't get to do that if we don't figure out what the hell we're gonna do! If not we're gonna turn into one of these guys. I don't know about you but I don't want to be a damn zombie, i really fucking don't!" Haruna cried, grabbing a hold of her drills tugging on them. "Why did it have to be zombies? Of all the damn things, why why why?"

"Haruna, keep it together would you? I know things seem bleak but we've made it this far. We have! Look!" Daisuke cried, pointing at the building looming over them. "There is, Mercy Hospital, we made it! We just gotta get from here to there!" he continued, pointing towards the main entrance.

"Easier said than done!"

"Haruna stop being a baby! Just think of Reukra okay? Think of him… he's probably waiting there for us, for you! Think of the man that you fell in love with and focus on that feeling. We will get out of this!" Miyaki cried, shaking her shoulders. Haruna remained silent, giving her a shy nod.

"I hope that helps the rest of us because they're starting to climb and my arms are getting tired!" Shiro said, kicking an infected in the face, causing him to fall back. "Dammit… where the hell is Lucille when you need her the most?"

Daisuke sighed as he peered over the edge of the roof, seeing the zombies still trying to get at them. They were growing more feral by the minute, making them even more dangerous. He frowned, closing his eyes. "_What the hell are we going to do?"_

"_**Heh… you could let me take over. Even with a dinky knife, these fucks are nothing to me. We've taken out an entire mob haven't we? This is cakewalk for me."**_

"_No. I am not letting you take control, not now, not ever. I don't care if Jibo made you real. You are just a figment of my imagination, end of story."_

"_**You will have to let me out at some point Daisuke. You know I am a valuable asset. La Máscara de la justicia es más illustrante que un millon de estrellas!"**_

Before he could do anything, a stream of gunfire filled his ears. He opened his eyes, seeing the infected being riddled with bullets. They all turned around, running towards the source, but were clothes lined but the hail of lead. The gunfire stopped for a moment, before a loud explosion and a flash of light knocked them back. What was left of the crowd was turned into nothing more than piles of limbs, blood and guts. Several arms, legs and even heads flew onto the roof, covering them in gore.

"AHAHAHAHA! I love it when they go boom!" a female voice cried out. The smoke cleared a bit revealing a seafoam haired girl with a rocket launcher resting against her shoulder. She pulled down her aviator glasses, revealing her white eyes. "You ladies look like you could use a hand?"

"Dude! Is that a fucking RPG?" Shiro cried, a look of excitement on her face.

"Yeup! Come down here and I'll let you hold it!"

"Sweet!" the girl cried, only for Daisuke to put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

"We don't know who this is, she could try to kill us." he said softly. Shiro blinked in confusion, a look of disappointment on her face.

"B-but Dais! It's an RPG, a fucking RPG! Did you see those bodies go boom? I got so many ideas right now! Come on, you gotta let me touch it!"

"I said no Shiro. You aren't going down there just because that chick has an RPG." he snapped angrily. He looked back at the woman, giving her a thankful look. "Thanks for the assistance, but we can't trust you."

"Bummer dude… I guess I'm just gonna have to keep roughing it alone. Ah wait, I got those two cuties with me. Oh well, you guys keep doing whatever it was you were doing. I'm getting the hell outta here." she said, swiveling on her foot.

"Rebecca, what the hell? I thought we agreed for you to stay in our sight." a familiar voice cried out, causing the girl to stop.

"Eh? I was just helping these folks out. They were stuck on the roof and shit, so was like 'may as well go something good today'. So I shot them all with my rifle and then blew them up with my rocket." she said with a shrug. The figure came out from around the bus, looking rather annoyed.

"Yeah, I get that. But you could have gotten killed, and for what? Just to help some random strangers!?"

"I helped you and the silver haired chick right? Youse two are strangers." the woman replied with a shrug. She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, pointing to the group that was currently jumping off the roof. "'Sides, these folks were outta ammo, may as well be a good Samaritan or whatever."

The figure sighed, deciding to take a look at the ones who friend had saved. She let out a gasp, the rifle she had clutched in her hands clattering to the ground. The group finally took notice of what was going on, freezing on the spot. The girl shortened the distance, being caught in a hug by Daisuke, who had a look of surprise on his face.

"S-Sayaka?" he asked softly. He pulled away from the hug, looking at her face, trying to confirm if it was really her. She gave him a nod, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"It's so good to see you! It hasn't been that long, but I thought I would never see you again!" she cried, once again hugging him.

"Wow… she actually got a body back… not bad, not bad at all." Shiro said softly, admiring the former idol. Mackenzie elbowed her, giving her a glare.

"It's great to see you again Saya!" Haruna said happily, giving the woman a hug. "Oh… I thought you weren't going to come back to us, but I'm so glad that you did!"

"Mhmm… and I'm not the only one." she said, glancing over her shoulder. "Hey Nico, come say hi to our friends!"

"N-Nico?" Daisuke asked softly. The silver haired girl walked out from behind the bus. She was holding an Automatic shotgun tightly in her grasp, though much like Sayaka, she let it go the moment she locked eyes with Daisuke. It didn't take her long to shorten the distance, wrapping her arms around him.

"Is this real?" she asked, looking up at the man. "This is real isn't it?"

"Of course it is! Welcome back… to the world of the living?" he said, giving her a grin. She grabbed a hold of his face, pulling him down enough to kiss him. Rebecca let out a whistle, sliding a cigarette between her lips.

"I'll be goddamned… she has a manfriend, and a really hot one too." she said, lighting the stick, taking a long drag from it. She exhaled the smoke with a sigh. "What I wouldn't give for one of those."

"Maybe we should actually get to the hospital before doing all of this? Come on, before another horde comes on us. We're out of ammo and we're really tired." Miyaki said, urging the others to keep moving.

"She's right. We can catch up later, right now we need to get out of the rain." Sayaka said, grabbing her rifle and Nico's shotgun from the ground. The girl had finally released Daisuke from their kiss, allowing him to breathe. She licked her lips, snagging her shotgun from the bluenette's hand, walking towards the hospital with a spring in her step. "Well, someone's happy."

"I'll say." Mackenzie mumbled under her breath, a look of annoyance on her face. Daisuke ruffled her hair, making her smile.

"Hey guys… when did it start getting foggy?" Haruna asked, looking at her surroundings. A thin veil of fog was beginning to cover the street. It was almost like a blanket of sorts. It wasn't enough to hinder their vision, but it was quite odd. "It wasn't like this a second ago."

"We're probably near the sea, that would explain the fog. Don't dwell on it too much, come on, the others must have made it inside by now." the storyteller said firmly.

_xxx_

Up on the higher floors of Mercy Hospital, the Ultimate Demonologist was scheming. He was currently walking up the stairs that lead to the 24th floor. The elevator had been at the top of the building, and there were infected crawling all over the place. It lead Lars to believe that this was in fact, ground zero for the infection. All of the yellow police tape and caution signs lead him to believe so anyway. There was some weird biohazard unit, C.E.D.A. he believed, who was apparently researching the infection. Whatever happened to them, he didn't know, nor did he care. All he wanted to do was have a bit of fun, even at the expense of his 'companions'.

"So what exactly is the plan?" Andras asked, quirking a brow as they walked. They continued climbing the stairs, cutting down any and all infected that tried to destroy them.

"There is no plan really, I just want to give everyone a little more time to bond in this city. Don't you think that would be swell?" He asked, a hint of seriousness in his voice.

"Is this some sort of revenge plan? Are you that vengeful against your fellow man?" The demon asked curiously. "I must admit, out of all the people that have summoned me, you are among the most interesting."

"It is _not_ a revenge plan. I just want to even our odds. Our captors went through the trouble of pushing us towards this city, what's the harm in sticking around?"

"Potentially dying is a big harm." The demoness said. She raised her sword, slicing an infected in half. She spun the sword around driving it's tip through its brain as the body fell.

"Ah but with you here, I am not going to die. Not just that, I have the Devil's book in my grasp. Did you know with the correct ritual I can bring back the dead? I think that would be a mighty fine motive, wouldn't you say?"

"I suppose. Aside from my freedom and your death, I don't particularly have an interest in anything. I just wish to return to hell so I can add your soul to my collection."

"You know, you might be a demon but that stupid face of yours really pisses me off." Lars said, sighing as the stairwell was blocked. He opened the door that lead to the 25th floor.

"Foolish mortal, you are the one who cut down this maiden. Not only did you choose this vessel but you also decided to bind me into it. So as you humans say, it is your own damn fault."

The demonologist held his breath as he entered the corridor. The building seemed to be under construction, making it that much harder to traverse. Even then, the infected were lunging for him, wanting to bite down on his flesh. With a single kick, he sent it flying over the edge of the building. A loud wet pop filled the air, making him chuckle.

"You had a lot of issues growing up didn't you?" Andras asked curiously. She tapped her chin with a finger, spotting another infected. She slowly drew her sword. "What lead you to become this self loathing individual?"

"Self loathing? Where did you gather that from?"

"It isn't hard for me to read your emotions. You blame yourself for something that wasn't in your control. It is also tied to why you despise women." The demoness said. He sighed, turning back to Andras.

"You think I actually _wanted _to be like this?" He asked with a laugh. "Once upon a time, I was a happy kid. Had a good family, a good life and most of all, an awesome brother. He was my best friend, my confidant."

The woman cut the infected down, her ear peeking up as the man continued to speak. "He was my hero. He was so cool, I yearned to become like him. I thought, 'if my brother can do it, so can I'. He was a. Upstanding citizen, good grades in school, the people loved him. But that all changed when he reached his senior year of high school."

He punched an infected in the face, sensing it tumbling back. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a fireball at it, setting it ablaze. It screamed in agony, running right off the building. His face hardened, the demoness could feel his rising anger.

"There was this girl that he liked, a total babe. He wanted nothing more than to be with her, but she rejected his advances. He said it was fine and that was that. Few weeks pass and this girl goes missing for a day. It didn't take long for the bomb to explode." He said, chuckling. "The upstanding citizen, the ace football star, the guy that I admired, my brother? He was convicted of rape of all things!"

"I see."

"No, no you don't fucking see!" Lars shouted as he turned around. He approached the woman, causing her to back away. "I had to sit there as they tore him apart, as they labeled him, a pervert, a rapist, a disgusting louse! My hero was nothing more than a sinner. But it wasn't his fault!"

"Lars, this is going too far." Andras said, having bumped into a stack of concrete mix. The man hissed in anger as he wrapped his hand around her neck. She swallowed hard, feeling her heart beating hard in her chest.

"I realized one thing then. It was thanks to his urges that he turned into a monster. It was that bitch who seduced him. Who shook her ass and made him crave her! Humanity is nothing but a flawed race, filled with monsters. I am just here to ensure those monsters come to light."

"You're insane!" The woman spat. She adopted a look of realization. "Huh… I never thought I would say that, and I'm a demon. This damned body is changing me…"

"That is because you are a woman of course!" Lars said with a laugh. "You are thinking like them, it won't be long until you use your charms to cause evil!"

"I find it silly that one woman could change your life like this. I mean sure, this shit is messed up. But it was your brothers fault, not hers. She was innocent, he was the one who raped her."

"Ah yes, you are right. The transgressions of one woman weren't enough to change me. After my brother was arrested, our name was stained. My father was a shell of himself, he drank heavily until he lost reason and shit himself. And my mother? Heh… when the tragedy began, she wanted nothing more than to give herself a dose of despair. So she put me in the car and we took a jaunty little drive to the river. She drowned, I didn't. You have no idea the shit i have been through, this is only the beginning."

The man finished his monologue, walking to the edge of the building. Andras rubbed her neck as she watched him stare into the distance.

"The world is burning, my friend. And I've got myself a front row seat."

It grew silent after he spoke. The demon turned siren didn't exactly know how to speak. Even her relentless urge to kill him was sated, if only briefly. She took a few steps forward, wrapping her arms around his body, hugging him tightly.

"I don't know if it's this body, or if I pity you. You've been through a lot of shit, which is why I am going to help you. You wish to bring chaos to this world, then let us do just that."

"Heh… don't believe for a second that I don't see what you are doing. You have a vagina after all, I will not fall for your wiles." He spat, a small smirk on his face.

"And yet you do nothing to push me away. But that is beside the point, what would you have me do?" Andras asked. The man smirked as he looked down, seeing the fog beginning to thicken.

"We have to ground our bird of course. For that, we need to get to the roof and wait for the others. The looks of despair on their faces will fuel me. Plus I am bored, I wanna see what else lies in this city." The demonologist said, causing the woman to shake her head.

"You are going to get yourself killed one day, you know that?"

* * *

**Location: Mercy Hospital Emergency Room **

**Time: 6:20 PM**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

"Daisuke!" Charlotte happily cried, having heard the man's voice on the other side of the door. She rapidly opened it, tackling him into a hug.

"Charlie, baby I'm so happy to see you!" He exclaimed, hugging her back. The woman released her hug, pushing him back. "What's wrong?"

"You smell like shit. God did you walk through a sewer?"

"Yes." The rest of his group said as they walked into the emergency room. Reukra jumped to his feet, hugging Haruna tightly.

"Haru, I'm so glad to see you!" He said, burying his face in her chest. Though embarrassed, the Supreme Hostess was quite happy to see her 'Rising Sun'.

"Ahem… are you forgetting someone?"

"N-Nico? Holy shit you are alive? You're alive!"

"I'm glad that everyone is alright. However we need to figure something out." Diego said, frowning as he had to break the reunion up. He gave Sayaka a nod, glancing at the new addition to their group.

"Ah… I should introduce myself. The name is Rebecca Scarlet, Spectacular Soldier, at yer service."

"Spectacular?" Mackenzie asked curiously. The woman nodded,patting the girl's head lovingly.

"It's a fancy schmancy title from my old school. God's Light Academy, located in Aguas Calientes!"

"You went to God's Light Academy?" Diego asked curiously. He looked her up and down, narrowing his eyes. "You don't look like someone who went there. They're usually the pious type, devout to god and the like."

"Eh, I could never get used to that mumbo jumbo. I'm just me, the Spectacular Title was given to me once I was booted from Skyline Academy. Whatever the case, we gotta figure out what to do now."

"She's right, were here now, so we may as well plan things out." Nyx said, as Alice slowly stitched Mackenzie's arm. "Sorry sweetheart, these cuts are too deep for my light."

"It's okay Nyx. This doesn't even hurt!" She said cheerfully.

"Hmm… how many floors tall is this place?" Daisike asked, earning a reply from Diego.

"30, though the last 5 are being rebuilt. I'm sure there is a service elevator that leads up there. It's the zombies that worry me."

"Yes, there must be hundreds here. This is ground zero, whatever this infection is, it lead everyone to this hospital for treatment." Alice said, causing Rebecca to frown.

"It was a biochemical weapon. It was dropped onto the city by someone. This used to be a tourist attraction. Seeing this city now, suffering like This? It's so sad."

"We can't focus on that." Mariana said, handing the others what was left of the food they had brought. "We have to focus on what's important, getting out of here."

"How do you suggest we do that huh?" Riku cried angrily. "Risk out asses fighting hordes of Zombies to get to the roof? And for What? We might not even get out of here. This is the Titanic but worse!"

"Don't you dare compare it to that!" Bethany snapped angrily, her body heating up. "We suffered enough on that ship, we need to let it rest!"

"Hmm… well, look at it this way. There's hundreds of infected, but we've pretty much got an arsenal here. There's still power to the building, all we gotta do is make it to the elevator and take it to the top." Sayaka said, loading a magazine into her rifle. "Simple right?"

"Yeah, on paper not in practice." Alice said, tugging the tread lightly, making Mackenzie grown. "Apologies dear, I'll wrap this up soon."

"Guys, we have no choice. This isn't a game and we aren't on a ship. We've got guns… we may as well use them." Miyaki said firmly. "Like my friend Peter once said, the show just go on, even if we gotta riddle it with bullets!"

"That makes no sense, like at all." Eris said, shaking her head. "We can go after everyone has eaten. We move in groups of seven, if we go in one big group, we will all die. We don't need that."

"Good plan, once we make it to the elevators, we'll meet up and ride it to the top. Then we will get out of here. How does that sound?" Daisuke asked.

"Exquisite!" Shiro replied, causing the man to look at the executioner. She was wolfing down a Famous bowl, chugging down a bottle of soda. "This is delicious! Why haven't I eaten this before?"

"I know right? It makes you wanna marry it!" Bethany cried out, earning a weird look from the girl.

"Well I wouldn't go that far."

The Ultimate Storyteller sighed, shaking his head. "Ear up guys… we may as well have a good meal before we hit the shit."

"Right, let's not let this good food go to waste!" Diego added, giving everyone a smile.

Despite what had happened, everyone had made it through their separation. However, their final leg was about to begin. They didn't know why, but they felt like it would be the biggest challenge yet. Just outside the door, the fog continued to thicken.

_**xxx(End of Act 4)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects 18**

**AN: Ha! You all thought Act 3 was the last update? But it seems I have been challenged! I am not a fucker you want to challenge, hehehehe prepare your buttholes. For They are going to burn...**

**Thanks for all your support guys! It mean a lot to me. Hope you all like it!**


	37. C3 Act 5: No Mercy

**House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned**

**Chapter 3**

**Act 5: No Mercy**

_**xxx**_

**Location: Mercy Hospital**

**Time: 7:15 PM**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

The corridors of Mercy Hospital were quiet, aside from the groans of the infected that called the hospital home. These former humans looked disgusting, most of their limbs had been riddled with bites. There were areas where the flesh had been completely taken off. Some even had bones poking from their muscles. Still they walked, on the prowl for their next meal.

Charlotte held her rifle tightly as she scanned her surroundings. Closely behind her was Dalila, followed by Diego and finally Riku. They had volunteered to scope out the next floor and clear it out of any infected. 3 of them had volunteered at least, the last one had been forced to go, the glare Alice had given him had been enough to get him on board. It was much easier for them to move as a unit of four than to move in a large group. It also made it easier for them to take care of the infected. The siren rose her rifle up, firing a single round at a nearby infected, blowing its head apart. The body fell down like a sack of potatoes, brilliant pink blood oozed from its neck, pooling around the body.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this." Dalila said softly, as she looked away. She had a squeamish look on her face. The smell of rotting flesh was beginning to make her sick, but she was doing everything in her power not to vomit.

"Me neither," Diego said, moving toward the stairs. He leaned against the wall, peering up to the landing. "We just have to push through alright? Let's stick together and get this done. Once this floor is clear, we'll be able to move up to the next one."

"Why are we even doing this?" Riku asked, as he tightly grasped his pistol. "It's so pointless… what are the odds that we'll even get out of this shithole island?"

"It doesn't matter right now Riku. if even a shred of hope exists, then we need to bank on it. We might be able to seek out our freedom that way." Charlotte said, slowly moving up the steps. She shone her light in the direction of a darkened room, praying silently that it was empty. "If we focus on the worst, then the worst will end up happening."

"Tch… that's easy for you to say. What hope do we have to live for? What hope do I have to live for? Even if I escape this island, I've got nothing waiting for me. This is all just a waste of time."

"You know… being pessimistic all the time isn't a good thing. I get it okay? Shit is bad, and it's going to get worse from here. But you have to stay positive, focus on the good not the bad." the Mexican boy said. He swung his shotgun at an infected, its head snapped back before its head burst, thanks to Dalila's well placed shot.

"You don't understand!" the neko snapped angrily. He glared at Diego, his eyes glowing slightly in the partial darkness. "My friends were the only thing I had left, and all of them are dead. My stepmother made my life a living hell. She's the reason I got sent to this shithole."

"I thought the reason you came here was because you want talent. Now you're blaming your stepmother? I don't understand you." the dryad said, shaking her head. "Whatever the case may be, may we focus on the task at hand? Our lives and the lives of the others are on our shoulders."

The neko mumbled a few swears under his breath as they moved up towards the next floor. The next few minutes were spent taking down a few of the infected that were in the area. They hadn't spotted any of the more dangerous infected, though Charlotte had heard a deep gurgles nearby. The floor was still. All of the ICU units were open, bodies lay on gurneys, riddled with holes. There were bloody drag marks on the ground, trailed by intestines and other organs. The smell of alcohol and blood lingered in the air, causing all of them to gag at the scent. They arrived at a crossroads. Diego looked around, noticing a sign above them.

"An elevator, that should be useful for getting us all up there. If they're service elevators then we should be golden."

"Do you think that's a good idea? What if one of those huge zombies is in here and ends up snapping the cable on us?" Charlotte queried, a look of worry on her face. "We wouldn't want to get this far and die at the end of it all."

"As long as it's swift, I don't care. The last thing I need is to suffer, I'd rather just be with Ibb."

Dalila sighed, deciding to ignore the man's ramblings. She was about to speak when she heard something from a nearby room. It sounded like scraping. As if someone or something was being dragged. She rose her machine-gun up, her hands shaking as she peered down the iron sights. Diego noticed this and tensed up, glancing around the area.

"What is it dear? What do you hear?"

"It sounds like scraping… like something is coming toward us."

They heard a screech as one of the nearby doors flew open, causing them to jump back slightly. A feminine looking figure was making their way toward them. On closer inspection, it looked like a nurse. She was wearing a rather tight fitting outfit, revealing quite a bit of her cleavage. The outfit was stained pink with blood, and reached just passed her thighs. She was wearing long crimson boots, her legs were angled oddly as she walked. In her grasp, she held a rusted pipe, which she was dragging behind her.

"What the fuck is that?" Charlotte cried, fear written on her face.

"It's an infected, but not like the ones we've seen. Get ready to-"

Riku let out a fearful scream as he pulled the trigger. His shot nailed the nurse on the shoulder, causing her to scream. She started running at the man, swinging her rusted pipe at him. Diego was quick to block the hit with his shotgun, sparks raining down from the hit.

"Charlotte, shoot her!"

"Okay!" the woman cried, raising her rifle. She flicked to full-auto, aiming right at her chest. The creature didn't even seem bothered. She continued swinging at Riku, nailing him across the chest with the pipe. He let out a cry of pain, dropping his gun to the ground.

"Dalila, we need your help. Hold her down!"

"I-I got it!" the dryad said, holding her hand out. She could feel her energy spiking a bit as she willed several thorny vines into existence, all of them entangling the nurse. She let out a scream, trying to swing her pipe. "I can't hold her for long!"

Diego cocked his shotgun, aiming it at her face. With the pull of the trigger, the nurse's head burst, sending blood, brain matter and skull fragments in every direction. The body went limp almost instantly, the pipe in her grasp clattering to the floor. He let out a sigh, lowering his shotgun.

"What the fuck." he mumbled softly, as Dalila retracted her vines.

"This island continues to surprise me with the amount of fucked up shit it keeps throwing at us." the siren said, looking at the body. She noticed the nurse was laying on the ground, legs spread out in odd angles, revealing the crimson panties she was wearing. "God, this thing looks like it came straight out of a fucking movie."

"Let's just go… I think that thing may have broken a rib." Riku said, wheezing loudly. He stood up, grabbing a hold of his pistol. The glass door behind him shattered, as a small ugly looking infected jumped onto his back, laughing like a hyena as it clawed at his neck. "AAAAHHH! What the fuck, it's got me!"

"Shit!" Diego shouted, swinging his gun at the neko. Dalila rose her own, taking aim at the creature. She pulled the trigger twice, nailing it through the head, grazing Riku's forehead in the process.

"Got it!"

"Ah… you shot me! You stupid fucking cunt!" the neko cried, allowing the body of the infected to fall to the ground. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he snapped, approaching the dryad with anger on his face. Diego stood before him, glaring into his eyes.

"Don't you dare, I'll knock you on your ass faster than you can blink. She saved your ass, so be thankful for that."

"She almost fucking killed me, you jag!'

Diego raised his hand, about to slap him when Charlotte stood between them. She flared her nostrils, shaking her head. "I'm not about to stand here and let you two start a kindergarten brawl. Let's go back down and tell the others about the elevator."

"Right… I apologize Charlie, I just-"

Another screech filled their ears, causing them to grab their guns. Out of the corner of their eye, they spotted another pipe wielding nurse. The group of four got ready for another short fight.

* * *

**Location: Mercy Hospital**

**Time: 7:25 PM**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

The elevator doors slowly slid open, allowing the ones inside to get a good scope of their surroundings. Daisuke, Alice and Diego slowly walked out, scanning the area for infected. The three moved as a unit, as per Alice's commands, slowly and silently taking down as many infected as they could. They had been forced to stop at the 28th floor of Mercy Hospital, due to the construction that was going on at the top.

The group had barely made it into the elevator after they had left the emergency room. Thanks to Alice's knowledge and military tactics, they had been able to make it rather far up the hospital. It was when they reached the 7th floor that things got rough. The stairs on both ends had been barred, making access to the higher floors nigh impossible. That meant they had to be forced into the elevator. They had debated for minutes on whether or not it was a good idea before Riku jumped the gun and pressed the button. The loud whirring sound of the elevator's pulley system alerted a massive horde. They had barely gotten there alive.

The three made it around the bend, taking down a few more infected with as little firepower as possible. Due to that horde, they were down to the last few magazines they had packed. Once they had been cleared, they gestured for the others to follow, as they headed towards the safe-room that had been made up there.

"Be careful guys, we don't know if there are any more of those crazy nurses hanging around here. They'll come out of nowhere and try to pin you down." Charlotte warned, as she scanned her surroundings. The Ultimate Veterinarian sighed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her gloved hand.

"I don't know how much longer we can go. We've got a large group, we're putting a lot of lives here in danger." Alice said softly, shuddering from the cold. The wind began to blow as the storm continued rolling over the city. The lights below shined brightly, though there were sections that were slowly shutting down due to lack of maintenance. No one knew how long they had before the entire city shut down.

"I know we're risking our lives here. But we might finally get off this island, it might be our last true shot at freedom, at least before Jibo give us a motive."

"You seem rather hopeful." Daisuke said, earning a frown from Diego. "I don't mean to bring down your mood, but I'm certain Jibo has something planned for us. He's not the type to sit on his laurels."

"He isn't." Sayaka added, as she walked up behind the three. She had a look of intrigue on her face as she glanced around the construction area. "Though if I'm being honest, the one that pushed me and Nico out here was his son Kinsei."

"You had a run in with that bastard too?" Alice asked curiously, earning a nod from the woman. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, brushing away a stray tear. "It's thanks to him that we lost Miya, him and that damned minotaur."

"I see… I'm sorry for your loss. She was a dear friend of yours and it isn't fair that she was robbed of her life this early on. I had assumed something bad had happened to her but it felt insensitive to ask."

"Another tragic loss of life that Jibo will have to answer too. He will pay for his crimes soon enough, even if I have to beat him within an inch of his life," Daisuke spat, squeezing his gun tightly.

"Has anyone seen Lars?" Eris asked, glancing around for a brief moment. "He wasn't with us downstairs, did something happen to him?"

"I truly hope something did happen to that asshat. He got fresh with us at the KFC and ended up going on his own. If he made it here or got killed by zombies, it doesn't matter. Good riddance right?" Mariana said, brushing past the two. "Let's focus on getting up to the roof okay?"

"Wait, there was someone else in this group?" Rebecca asked curiously. Everyone remained silent as they continued walking, slaying whatever infected ran in their direction.

"His name is Lars, we don't talk about that dickhole though. He's a total douche bag who's done some fucked up shit. He's killed one of us before and generally disregards human suffering." Bethany said, a look of disdain on her face.

"He's the crowned prince of douchebags, long may he reign. His reaction to human suffering is to pull up a chair and eat some popcorn. He's about the last person you'd want to get stuck with in a life or death situation." Reukra said, crossing his arms as he walked.

"Whew… well whatever the case may be, I hope we don't meet this fella. He sounds like a total ass," Rebecca said, holding back a laugh. "Whatever the case may be, we're getting close to the top! Let's give it one more push you guys!"

Daisuke nodded and continued moving forward. While he didn't fully trust the woman yet, she had saved his and his friend's lives. But there was something about her that didn't strike him right.

"Dais, what do you make of the new girl?"

"Hmm… I'm not sure yet Allie, we did just meet. I can't really say that I trust her, especially after last time." he replied. The woman nodded, sparing a glance back at Rebecca, who had kicked an infected over the edge of the building, giggling as it slammed into the streets below.

"I can't find myself trusting her. My circle of trust is rather small, aside from Nyx, you, Diego and Charlotte, I have a hard time trusting people. I have to pick my friends carefully, that last trial proved it to me."

"I'm glad that you trust me sweetheart, I trust you as well." he said, earning a blush from the girl. Though he didn't exactly notice it. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, making sure everyone was still in line. "We've all been through some shit, I hope that we can earn your trust in the future, okay?"

"D-definitely!" she stammered, giving him a smile.

Meanwhile at the back of the group, Miyaki was keeping everyone in line. Nyx had decided to stay at the back as well, making sure Mackenzie was moving forward. She had lost a bit of blood from the 'Hunter' that had attacked her. Alice had been able to stitch her arm nicely, but she was still a bit dizzy due to the blood loss. The girl had volunteered to be her mobile nurse, making sure she wasn't attacked. Eris had also stayed to the back, relying on her Petrification ability whenever they were in a pinch. They had managed so far, but the fatigue was starting to get to them.

"How's your hand doing Miyaki?" the halfling asked curiously. Miyaki briefly glanced at the back of her hand, noticing the burn mark that was on her once smooth skin. She had expected the A to be a part of her avatar in the Neo World Program. But when she had finally out of it and had managed to get a good look at it, she saw that it was part of her in the real world.

"It's doing alright… it doesn't hurt or anything. It's more of a blemish than anything, I just wish I could remove it." the girl said softly, rubbing her hand. "I was planning on getting a tattoo on there actually."

"Do tattoos hurt?" Mackenzie asked curiously. She glanced at her uninjured arm, tracing it with her fingers. "I've had a lot of ideas for body art, but I'm a bit scared of needles, if you couldn't tell from the stitches that I was given earlier."

"I haven't gotten a tattoo, I've heard they feel like getting tased." Miyaki replied with a shrug. The three girls gave her an odd look. "What? That's what one of my circus friends said."

"Was it Peter?" Nyx asked curiously, quirking a brow. The woman blushed at the mention of his name. ""You are just head over heels for that boy, aren't you?"

"I am not!"

"Bullshit, whenever someone names him you turn bright red!" Eris said, giggling. "You totally wuv him, you want to get off this island so you can give him a big kiss!"

"Stop." the girl said softly.

"What? It's just a joke, no need to take it seriously."

"It isn't that." the blonde said, looking away from the girls. "Peter most likely thinks I'm dead… it's been such a long time since we've even spoken. I'm certain he's already let me go. If the Killing Games were broadcast, then I'm sure he and Kitty… and his sister Veronica, all saw my death. I don't think I'll make it out of here alive. Seeing him again is just a fleeting dream."

"It won't be. We'll get out of here Miyaki… we're going to go back to our homes, see our families and hug our friends. You'll get to see your friends again, and go back to the circus life! You'll get to show the world your talent again!" Mackenzie said happily. Miyaki let out a dry chuckle, raising her gun.

"I don't think I can be as optimistic as you are Kenzie. Even if I do get out of here, I don't have a home to go back to. My father is gone, mom died during the fire that took our circus, and my friends are scattered to the wind. Gis is gone, Shuhei is dead, and my circus friends… who knows anymore?"

"Jeez… I didn't think a simple question about a brand would lead to depression." Eris said, scratching her neck.

"I wish I could answer that question." Nyx said, scratching her head. "I have one on my navel, it's a donut with tentacles coming from the side."

"Uh...why?" Eris asked. The girl shrugged, briefly lifting her shirt to show them the tattoo.

"It was a silly design that I came up with when I was writing my 'origin story'. I wasn't expecting for it to be tattooed onto me."

"When you came up with Nyx Flurry Layla, did you also give her blue skin because that's what aliens looked like?" Mackenzie asked curiously. Nyx shook her head, pursing her lips.

"I gave her blue skin because my pink crayon broke. Light blue skin fit better, especially with the eyes. The whites of my eyes are amber and the irises are pink. My original eye color was actually blue. I was 8 okay? I wasn't expecting to survive as long as I did and I wasn't expecting to be turned into an actual alien." the girl said with a flush. "Sometimes I wonder, if I die would I just go out, or would another me hatch from inside my corpse?"

"Oh, you mean like a face hugger from Alien?" Miyaki asked curiously.

"Mhmm… just like that!"

"A chibi version of Nyx that face hugs people…" Eris stated, as she pondered the idea. She gave Nyx a small smile. "Well, if you do die and that becomes your fate, you'll at least be cute!"

"Wha? That's rude… I'm very cute right now, thank you very much!" she cried, pouting. Miyaki rolled her eyes, giving the girl a side hug.

"You are! When we get out of here, we're going to find you a cute boy too! Someone who digs the whole alien look."

"Yep, our little Nyx needs a good dicking, she's far too adorable for her to be unsatisfied." Eris added.

"Is sex really that important in a relationship?" Mackenzie queried, a frown on her face. She glanced ahead of the group, spotting the safe room doors.

"It shouldn't be prioritized, but it is nice." Miyaki said, causing them to look at her oddly. She cleared her throat, flushing. "I've heard things okay?"

"Suuure." the gorgon teased. She placed a hand on Mackenzie's shoulder, giving her a grin, her snakes oddly calm. "Kenzie, sweetie. You'll know exactly when the right time to have sex will be. You'll know with who it is too. What's important is that you feel comfortable and to remember that no is no. So if the one you are with insists on it, just tell them no. And use protection as well."

"Well I know that… I was given the talk when I was 9." the blonde painter said, shrugging. "I guess I'll think about it. There aren't any guys here that I like… not anymore at least."

"You'll find one. Maybe not on this island, but I am sure that guy is a lot closer than you think!" Nyx said, giving her a wink.

"Alright guys, we're here. Let's take a break before moving up to the roof." Daisuke said, encouraging the others to hurry up.

"We should chat later, I'm having a lot of fun~" Miyaki said happily.

"Mhmm… maybe we can have a slumber party once we're safe? Shiro and I had one on the Titanic and it was super fun. Her sister taught me how to braid hair!"

"I wish I could braid my hair, sadly it's alive." Eris said, earning a hiss from her snakes. She let out a hiss of her own, causing them all to shy back. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Hehe… this is gonna be great! I look forward to it!" Nyx said happily.

* * *

Location: Mercy Hospital (Roof)

Time: 8:00 PM

Date: August 13th, 2020

"I'm so tired of this shit." Riku said, brushing his bangs out of his eyes as he walked. There was a surprising lack of infected in this corridor, giving the group a much needed reprieve. He had a hand over his chest, nursing the injury he had gotten earlier. "Ah… that damn nurse bitch… I wish I could have put a bullet through her skull."

"You know, complaining isn't going to make this go faster," Nico quipped, checking her shotgun over as she walked. "In fact, it's just going to lower your own morale…"

"I'm sorry, did I ask for your opinion?"

"Riku, would you shut up?" Reukra snapped in annoyance. The neko glared at the duplicator, but said nothing as he continued walking forward.

Ever since they had arrived to the rooftop safe room, the neko had been muttering things under his breath. Most of their group didn't know what they were as they couldn't hear them. However, Reukra had been walking beside him for most of the trip to the top, hearing all of the self-loathing comments. He had wanted to ask him what was wrong, but whenever anyone did, the man would push them away. He had grown to the point of not caring anymore. The man was being a douche and he had no sympathy for him.

"Why don't you leave me the hell alone? I'm not doing anything to you!"

"No, you are being a douchebag, especially to Nico. Didn't your mother teach you to respect a lady?"

"Sadly she didn't, she was too busy rotting in a tomb to teach me shit." the man spat, shutting his mouth right after. Reukra felt bad after hearing that, uttering a sigh.

"Look, I apologize alright? Just try to respect people, especially if you want to be respected in return. It doesn't take an arm and a leg to be courteous."

"Why would I bother? No one cares about me, and it's my fault that Ibb died. It's my fault that she ended up being clubbed to death." the man said firmly, before shifting his gaze to Nico, glaring at her. "This bitch isn't innocent either, she was in bed with Lars and Ethan after all… it's thanks to her that those hostages die. Hell, maybe the reason all of the ghosts died was because Surrashakuma was fulfilling her part of the bargain."

Nico let out a hiss, pushing her glasses up her nose as she forced the man to stop walking. They locked eyes for a few seconds, neither knowing what to say. After some more moments of silence, she decided to speak, her voice filled with venom. "Look, I am sorry that your girlfriend was a tragic victim of this game, but that is not my fault. I clearly didn't take the bait did I?"

"You're alive and well, rocking that new body though. That means you still got a golden ticket, you got to keep living. That body doesn't belong to you, you should be dead. Ibb should have survived, not you!"

"Riku!" Sayaka snapped, pushing the man back. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"What? I'm just stating the facts. The two of you don't deserve to be alive, what do you bring to the table? Aside from your huge tits?" he said with a laugh. He shifted his gaze towards Nico, ears twitching. "And you, aside from your guessing talent, you are totally useless. I bet you can't even shoot a gun properly."

"Neither can you, I heard you screamed when you fired your own gun earlier. That doesn't say a lot, does it Kitty?" the silver-haired girl cheekily replied.

"Guys, we need to start moving. We don't have the time to stop and have a chat." Diego said firmly, urging the others to move. "We can settle our differences later."

"Or we can settle them right now." Reukra said firmly, standing tall before the neko. "Riku is being an asshole to Nico for no apparent reason. All because Ibb died on the Titanic, we get it dude, you liked her. You have to realize that she's dead and there's no way of bringing her back."

"That's easy for you to say, Haruna didn't die in there!"

"BUT MY MOM DID!" he shouted, pushing the man back. He squeezed his hands together as he glared at the man. "My mom was killed in that simulation, she had her throat cut. She was an innocent victim, but your little 'girlfriend' or whatever you call her, killed 5 people. How do you justify that?"

"She was deluded! The game was fucking with her head, she was innocent!" the man cried.

"Bullshit… she said it herself. She wanted to kill Weiss and Gehrig because they shoved her back in that painting. She probably realized that if she killed them in the game, nothing would happen. They were her hostages after all, they were being held against her. If she killed them, she would get nothing but satisfaction for it." Sayaka said firmly.

"No she wouldn't have! You all are ganging up on her because you hate her!"

"Riku listen… we don't have time for this shit… we need to get on the fucking roof without a moment to lose. So either you shut up and keep walking or you can sit here and let the infected kill you. I am not going to keep dealing with your self loathing horse shit." Daisuke spat, looking at the others. "Let's go."

"It's funny you bring that up, seeing as your girl survived. Oh… no wait… that isn't true. You don't have one girlfriend, you have two of them. It makes me wonder how someone as stupid as you got two thots to fall in love with him."

"What the fuck did he just call me?" Charlotte cried out, walking through the crowd. She had her katana strapped to her waist, and was holding a spare MP5 in her grasp. "Let me clean the shit outta my ear, because I don't think I heard you right."

"We will cease this tomfoolery right now!" Alice snapped, her accented voice laced with anger. She took a deep breath as she looked around the corridor. "I do not know why you feel the need to antagonize your comrades, but you have best stop it. After all, the only reason you are still alive, is because they are watching your back. So treat them with respect."

"Oh, why sure my lady. I will definitely do that." Riku said, in a perfect English accent. "I'll make sure we drop all hostilities, that way when we make it to the roof we can talk over a spot of tea."

"Just ignore him. He's doing this for attention, let's keep going. We're not that far from the roof." Daisuke said, turning his back to the neko, who let out a chuckle.

"Doing this for attention you say? Why that's quite interesting. Wouldn't you say 'crying about your dead fiancee' is a cry for attention?"

"Honestly Riku, you should keep your nose out of things that don't matter to you." Sayaka said, only to be ignored by the neko.

"She's probably laughing at you, you know. I said earlier that you got lucky that your thotties made it out. But I forgot one, Hiyoko Saionji. Ultimate Despair. The one who made so many people suffer, the reason the lot of us are on this island." he continued, taking a few steps forward. "You use her as a way to 'seduce' Charlotte. You used your emotions to get Nico roped around your finger. Honestly, I'm more disgusted with you. You hold no respect for women, you've clearly groomed the two of them to hover over your dick."

"You're just jealous that he's getting more pussy than you!" Shiro snapped angrily. She grabbed a hold of Riku's jacket, pushing him back against the wall. "I don't like to get physical with people, but you are about to make me break my own moral rule. You are being a dickhead, and unless you want me to snuff you, you'll shut your mouth!"

"Wow, you even got this one wrapped around your dick. How sad, she was a cute one too." the neko said jokingly. In a fragment of a second, the man's head snapped back hitting the wall rather hard. Shiro pulled her hand back, throwing a second punch right at his nose making the man scream in agony. "Ack! You fucking bitch!"

"You deserve that you fucking dickhead!"

"I'm gonna kill you!" the neko shouted in anger. Daisuke stood between the two, slamming the man into the wall, a look of pure anger on his face.

"I'm going to stop you right there. I am sick of your shit, go ahead and blame whoever you want for Ibb's death. But we reached the truth in that class trial and she was executed for it. In fact, she was the one who ran when her time was up. So she has no one to blame but herself. Unless you want to join her, I advise that you shut your mouth." he said. Riku looked away from him, saying nothing. He let him go, turning to the others. "Let's go."

Everyone walked in silence as they moved towards the stairs, which lead up towards the 29th floor. They all walked past Riku, not saying anything to the neko who just stood in place, grumbling under his breath. Nico made her way to the front of the group, giving Daisuke an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry… this was all my fault."

"No, it wasn't." he deadpanned, glancing down at the silver-haired girl. "Riku is just troubled by what happened with Ibb, don't let his comments bother you."

"I know… but he's hung up on the fact that I'm alive. Maybe he's right."

"Nico." Sayaka snapped in a scolding tone. "What did I tell you earlier?"

"To live life to the fullest, I know." she pouted, crossing her arms. "I still don't think I deserve it."

"Yeah well the ones who think that can co suck a lemon. Who really cares right? You and I are alive, let's just enjoy ourselves. Now then, what's the plan for the rooftop? That chopper looks like it didn't have enough room for all of us."

"If I could hazard a guess? We're going to have a space issue aboard that chopper, there's also the fact that they're part of the SCP Foundation. I don't entirely trust them."

"We don't have much of a choice Nico. A way out is a way out, right?" Charlotte added, having joined their conversation. The girl nodded, flushing a bit when she felt her take her hand.

"Ew, Charlie… your hand is slimy!"

"S-sorry… my hands have this sticky film that keeps my scales moist." she explained, earning a squeamish look from the girl. "Okay, I'm clearly not making it any better."

The group continued moving forward, reaching the final area they could move forward. After crawling through a vent and dealing with a few infected, they walked through the elevator shaft. They slowly made their way across the scaffolding, climbing up a ladder toward the roof. The air was colder and crisper than before, and the rain was falling a lot harder than before. It was darker now, as the sun had gone down. Daisuke walked to the edge of the roof as everyone slowly started climbing up. Mercy Hospital's searchlights were spinning around, shining high into the sky. The helipad was nearby, half of it being destroyed.

There were other areas on the large roof, mostly kept for storage and various other things. There was a metal ramp that had been placed on the edge of the elevator mechanism room, leading down toward a closed off building near the center of the roof. Daisuke's ear perked up, as he heard the buzzing of a radio. A few infected ran at him, but he took them down with a few well placed shorts. He turned back, 20 people who were gathered behind him. They all looked tired, hungry and annoyed, but they had made it. He nodded, gesturing at the other building with his thumb.

"There's a radio in that building, which most likely links us to that chopper. We're close to getting out of here. However, I will say this. Don't get excited, a lot of things could happen between now and then. Let's give it one final push alright?"

"Right, we don't know what might happen so let's be careful. We might have to split our groups and mitigate supplies. We'll be careful, but most of all we'll be hopeful." Diego added, earning nods from the others. He gave Daisuke the go ahead, and he started moving down the ramp towards the service building, where the radio was located.

He grabbed a hold of the doorknob, holding his FN 5/7 up ready to fire. Diego did the same, 1911 at the ready. With a nod, the two threw the doors open, quickly storming the room. They shot all of the infected, having caught them by surprise. They took a few moments to scan the room further, but found nothing out of place. Diego noticed a metallic cabinet mounted to the wall, emblazoned with the SCP Foundation's crest. He walked toward it, throwing it open, a smirk on his face.

"Psst."

Daisuke glanced over his shoulder, seeing the cache of weapons now available to them. There were various high powered guns, including an AA-12, a customized Scar 17 with an infrared scope and a Franchi Spas 12, among a few others. There were several magazines as well, all of them ready to be used, along with boxes of ammunition. Daisuke took this chance to swap his worn M16 for the Scar 17, a grin on his face.

"You seem happy with that."

"The Scar 17 happens to be one of my favorite rifles, it's a bit pricier than your usual AR-15 setup, but it has a good rate of fire. It also has these sweet 60 round magazines and is chambered in .308 penetrating rounds. Enough to clothesline your typical zombie mob." he said, filling his messenger bag with magazines for the rifle. It wasn't long before a few of the others started making their way into the room.

"Sweet! More ammo, that means I can refill!" Rebecca said cheerfully, bounding over to the A.K. 47 that was laid out on the table. "Ah… good old Russian firepower. You can never go wrong with a Kalashnikov."

"Comrade." Alice said gruffly, as she restocked on her own ammo. She cleared her throat when she saw the look on Daisuke and Diego's faces. "Erm… would you mind radioing the chopper? The others are getting quite antsy."

Daisuke nodded, slowly making his way over to the CB radio that had been left on the nearby table. It was a rather basic set up, but it got the job done. As he reached the table, the speakers buzzed, causing him to jump back.

_"Mercy Hospital do you copy? This Survey Corps Unit 5, come back."_

"Jesus… that was bad timing, hehe." he said softly as he grabbed a hold of the microphone. He licked his lips, clearing his throat as he pressed the button. "Survey Corps Unit 5, this is Mercy Hospital, come back."

The line was silent for a second, before a cheerful voice picked up the call. _"Oh I'm so happy to hear a voice. I just ferried a small group of survivors from there an hour or so ago. I'm on the way back from refueling. How many of you are there? Over."_

"Survey Corps, we've got 21 souls here including myself. Will that be a problem?"

"My helicopter is a tad smaller than the ones I normally fly. However I am built to carry 30 so we have enough room. You'll have to hold out until I get there. There should be a mounted gun and supplies up there from the last run. Call me back when you are prepared, over."

"Alright everyone this is it." Daisuke said, as he walked towards the doors. He looked at all of his friends, giving them a firm look. "Whatever happens, we're going to make it alright? Everything will be just fine."

"You've lead us this far, let's give it our all. Everyone replenish your ammo and get ready for anything. We're getting off this salty spit of land!" Alice said.

The next few minutes consisted of everyone refilling on their ammunition and checking themselves over for injuries. They knew their last leg was probably going to be one of the hardest, so they wanted to be prepared for anything. They all spread out, covering as much area as possible. Diego gave him a nod and he grabbed a hold of the microphone, pressing the button.

"Survey Corps Unit 5, this is Mercy Hospital. We're locked and loaded and awaiting pick up, over!"

_"Excellent, I'll be there as fast as I can. ETA 15 minutes, try to hold out. The infected have been known to attack at random."_

"Thanks for the heads up, we'll keep a weathered eye out. Godspeed, over and out." Daisuke said setting the mic down. No sooner had he done that, had a tongue wrapped around his waist. He let out a shout as he was pulled off his feet, his rifle clattering out of his hands. "AHH… it's got me!" he shouted, as the tongue was pulling him back.

"Dais!" Alice cried, raising her rifle. She peered down the sight, pulling the trigger back twice. Two bullets struck the creature they had dubbed 'The Smoker' causing it to explode into a thick cloud of green smoke. He let out a pained groan, coughing loudly as the smoke entered his lungs.

As if on cue, an ear piercing screech filled the rooftop. Daisuke rapidly grabbed his rifle from the ground, kneeling next to the window, resting the stock of his rifle on his shoulder. The first infected peered its head over the edge, prompting him to fire. He quickly shot a second, and then a third. He fixed his aim, about to take down a fourth when something shot directly at him, aiming for his throat with its claws. He jumped back, narrowly avoiding the creature.

"Mother fucking shit!" he shouted as he was slammed into the back wall by the 'Hunter' who growled angrily at him, snapping its bloodied jaws at him. He pulled his fist back, slugging the creature across the cheek, sending it flying back.

_**"You should really let me out, you are only going to get us-"**_

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Daisuke shouted at the top of his lungs. He grabbed a nearby crowbar, which had been dropped by one of the others. He pulled it over his head, bringing it down with all of his force. He continued doing this, growling in anger.

Meanwhile on the outside, Diego and Reukra had teamed up, guarding the entrance from the horde. The two men were picking their shots carefully. Diego seemed to be showing more experience with his rifle than Reukra did with his pistol. He was fumbling a bit but was managing body shots which seemed to bring the zombies to a grinding halt.

"Hahahahaha! This is the kind of war that I've been hoping for!" Diego suddenly shouted, causing Reukra to jump in surprise.

"Diego, what the hell is wrong with you? Why are you shouting?!"

"I am not Diego! I am the Prince of Dim Carcosa! And it is time I got the exercise I deserve!" the man shouted as he moved forward, guns blazing. Reukra would have facepalmed if it wasn't for the fact that there were infected running in his direction. He moved back towards the room entrance, seeing Alice and Daisuke standing back to back, firing at the infected pouring through the windows.

"Shit, I need someone to cover me!" he cried out, as his gun clicked empty. He let out a cry, as his body started bubbling. Almost instantly, a full body duplicate of the young man dropped to the ground, rapidly standing up. It let out a growl as it moved towards the crowd, striking the infected with his fists. "Well… I guess that works." he said, a bit fatigued as he replaced his magazine.

Miyaki let out growl as she slammed her leg into an infected nurse, snapping her femur clean in half. She buried her knife deep in her skull, raising her gun in time to shoot an infected man. Haruna was quick to cover her left while Charlotte sliced the heads off a few of them.

"Good hustle ladies, you really know what's up!" Rebecca said, quickly joining the three. She emptied her magazine, giggling as it went click. "Aw poo, looks like I'm out of ammo."

"Maybe you should fall back then?" Charlotte said, wheezing a bit as she ran her sword through a nearby infected. Rebecca shrugged, reaching behind her back for a bottle, which had a rag sticking out of it. She puffed her cigarette, using it to light the rag. With a firm throw, she sent it forward, shattering it on the ground.

"A molotov? That's not a bad idea." Haruna said it, earning a giggle from the girl.

"They saved my life before kiddo, always helps to use your surroundings." she replied, replacing her spent magazine. She turned in time to shoot a 'Boomer' which had been ready to spray them with its bile. "Whoo… that was a close one, did you see its head? It shot into the air like a rocket!"

"Try not to get us killed." Miyaki said softly, as she returned to the fray.

"Alright Ninetales, Flamethrower!" Kanemoto cried out, snapping her fingers. The nine tailed fox replied in kind, shooting a beam of flames at the incoming zombies. The brunette heard something from her right and clicked her tongue. "Greninja, Water Shuriken!"

"Nin~" the water type cried out, jumping into the air. It slapped its webbed hands together, forming the large glowing shurikens of water, launching them at the incoming horde. It dropped down to a knee, panting hard.

"What's wrong buddy, don't tell me you are getting tired? You just rested!" the girl cried, sighing audibly. "Nevermind, return for now. Jolteon take the field, counter with Thunderbolt!" she cried, swapping her tired water type for her swift electric type.

"Jolteon!" the dog like creature cried, unleashing the strongest bolt of lightning it could, searing the flesh right off of the deceased shamblers.

"You know, pushing them this hard is bad for them." Eris said, lowering her glasses over her eyes. She clutched her head in pain, snakes hissing loudly. "These creatures are mutated animals, experiments by Jibo. They aren't 'real' Pokemon, this might be straining them far too much."

"I know that! But I have a fear of guns okay? That's why I am over here with you, I know this is straining them. I don't want anything bad to happen to them but they're my only line of defense… being the only Pokemon trainer in the world is a drag. My strategies don't work on humans!"

"Just stay calm and be mindful of them, you are their mother right? Don't overwork them, I'm certain they'll be fine."

"I know they will! We're the best team in the world after all! Ninetales, focus on the group over there with Extrasensory! Gardevoir, use Psychic!"

"Nine!" the fox cried, as she jumped up onto the higher shelf. She took a deep breath, eyes glowing brilliantly as she used her psychic power to push the infected clean off the roof.

Gardevoir however was struggling to keep up, she was already fatigued from the earlier battles. She raised her hand in prepared to follow her Master's command, when an infected came up behind her. She turned around, in a vain attempt to stop it from attacking but it was too late. She let out a scream of pain as it sunk its teeth into her neck, pulling out her jugular. Kanemoto turned around, letting out an anguished scream.

"Gardevoir no!"

"Garde!" she choked, holding her hand out. Kanemoto was about to jump down, when Eris grabbed a hold of her hand, stopping her from moving.

"Let me go! She needs me!"

"Do you wanna die? Over a stupid creature?" she spat angrily. "You have a lot to live for, that's just some mutant! Who cares if it lives or dies!"

"I do! She's my fucking friend, let me go! Gardevoir!" the pokemon trainer cried, as the psychic type was mobbed by infected, slowly being torn apart.

It wasn't long after that the crowd started thinning out, stopping entirely. The group let out a collective sigh, battered and tired but not out. Daisuke took a shaky step forward, wiping the blood from his face. He almost tripped over the magazines he had dropped to the ground, completely spent. He heard a buzz on the radio, his ear perking up at its sound.

_"Mercy Hospital, ETA 10 minutes. I'm picking up some extra supplies and ammo, I'll be there shortly. Over and out!"_ the pilot said, causing the man to drop his rifle.

"10 minutes… that entire fight was 5 minutes?" Alice sputtered, a look of disbelief on her face. Nico let out a gulp, having jumped into the room through the window, stumbling over the bodies.

"Guys… I dunno why it is but… I have a sick feeling in my stomach… like this isn't over."

Not long after she said that, a loud roar filled their ears. The ground started to shake as a large piece of concrete was sent hurtling toward them. The ones that were still outside hit the deck, as the massive hulking beast raced towards them, moving entirely on its arms. Daisuke's eyes widened, rapidly turning around and heading towards the ammo cache.

"SHOOT IT!" he shouted. Alice gave him a nod as she opened fire at it, followed by the others.

"Haruna focus on its legs with your shotgun, we need to make sure it can't move as easily. Rebecca focus your firepower on its spin. Charlotte stay back, you're already growing tired we don't need you getting hurt or worse." Miyaki said.

"But I can help!" the girl wheezed. The blonde tossed a water bottle in her direction, gesturing to her gills.

"Keep those wet, and hide out for now. We'll cover your retreat, Mariana, Nyx, cover her!" she cried out, earning nods from the two girls.

"S-Shiro, I'm scared!" Mackenzie said, as she struggled to aim at the 'Tank'. The executioner said nothing as she continued opening fire at the creature's head, hoping the concentrated bursts would do something.

"We'll be fine Kenzie, just focus on firing your gun okay? We'll be outta here in no time!"

"I… okay I'll-" she paused, letting out a scream. "Look out!" she cried, pushing Shiro to the ground, just as a piece of concrete sailed over them. The executioner let out a muffled cry as they hit the ground. The painter panted a bit, body shaking with adrenaline as she practically pinned the gyaru to the ground.

"T-thanks Kenzie. I owe ya one!" Shiro said, giving her a wink. She flushed, giving her a quiet nod. Mackenzie slowly sat up, not realizing she was sitting on Shiro's waist. She felt something under her, making her eyes go wide. Her jaw dropped as she locked eyes with Shiro.

"You're… you're a…"

"Surprise!" the executioner said with a wink, pressing her fingers to her lips. "Keep it secret for now, okay?"

Mackenzie nodded, turning her attention back to the massive infected, which had finally been taken out. Everyone lowered their guns, sighing with relief, various looks of anger and tiredness being written on their faces.

"That one… took almost all of our ammo." Daisuke said, his grip on his rifle loosening a bit. Another loud screech filled their ears, followed by the sounds of running. "Oh c'mon!"

"We need to stick closer together, it's the only way we'll make it through this." Mariana cried out, before glaring at Riku, who was kneeling behind some pieces of concrete, hands over his head. She growled angrily. "Feel free to help out any time, you pussy!"

"Hey fuck you! I don't know how to use a rifle!"

"That isn't stopping the rest of us!" Dalila cried, waving her arm forth. Several vines sprouted from the ground, snagging the legs of the infected. She groaned a bit as she tried to keep them from snapping. "Quick, Seisha, slice and dice!"

"Okay momma!" the samebito cried, running forward with a burst of speed. He jumped into the air, extending his arms out. With several speedy swipes, he took care of the infected. "I did it!"

"Yes you did baby, yes!" Dalila cried back, a proud look on her face. "He called me momma!"

"Ugh." Bethany mumbled. She wasn't bothered by the display, she was more annoyed by the infected. Her body was beginning to tire, making her even angrier than before. She let out a grunt as she flung a fireball forward, nailing several zombies in the chest. "Ha! Take that!"

The Ultimate Pele stopped her celebration short as a loud snort filled her ears. Before she realized what was going on, a large infected came running at her. He snagged her with its lone muscular arm, continuing his dead sprint, knocking several of the others to the ground as it hit the wall. The creature let out an inaudible groan as it lifted Bethany up, slamming her full force into the ground.

"Let me go! Ack! It's got me!" she cried, pounding its arm as it slammed her down a second time. She felt the air rush out of her lungs as she was struck against the concrete ground. The third slam had her seeing stars, while the fourth almost knocked her out. She felt her vision darkening as the creature prepared for one final slam.

_**"ROAR!"**_

The overall wearing infected screeched as its arm had been completely severed. Mariana beat her wings hard as she flew forward, using her claws to tear the thing apart. Nico knelt down before Bethany, making sure the girl was okay. She reached into the medkit she had grabbed down stairs, quickly finding an epinephrine pen. She pulled the cap off, stabbing the needle into Bethany's thigh.

"You're gonna be okay, Nyx we need your healing light!" she cried out over her shoulder. Alice quickly reloaded, giving a nod to her friend.

"Go, I'll cover you."

"Alright, I won't be long." she replied, jumping into the building from the broken window. She knelt down next to Bethany, placing her hands on her chest. "My healing light only heals minor injuries, I dunno I'll be able to heal her fully."

"I trust that you will. Just believe in your magic or powers or whatever!" the guesser said, earning a frown from the halfling. She closed her eyes, focusing on the healing powers in her body. Mariana let out another roar as she launched a fireball forward, destroying several infected at once.

_"Mercy Hospital, ETA 5 Minutes. Looks like you guys are gonna be my final run… I've hit a bit of a snag in the road. Hold out just a little longer!"_ the pilot cried through the radio, only to be drowned out by gunfire and infected screeching.

"5 minutes… we won't have enough ammo for another five minutes." Nico said softly, as she looked at the dwindling supply. The once sizable pile had gone down to a handful of magazines and shotgun shells. Daisuke and Alice had been running back and forth, filling bags with ammo and handing them off to the ones that needed them. By her estimates, they'd run out of ammo before the chopper arrived.

She forced herself to her feet, grabbing a hold of her shotgun, pulling the loading rod hard. Nyx looked up for a brief moment, a curious look on her face. "What are you doing?"

"There won't be enough ammo for us to fight out this horde. There's a mounted gun on the roof, I'm gonna provide cover fire and thin out their numbers."

"Are you insane? Do you even know how to use one of those?"

"It isn't hard, I'll figure it out!" she said. She dashed to the right, narrowly avoiding a slash to the face from the angry Manakete. She pushed the metal door open, quickly moving up the stairs. She rose her shotgun, letting out two shots, taking care of the infected that were crawling around on the stairs.

She made it to the roof, spotting the gun the pilot had mentioned. The Browning M2HB heavy machine-gun sat a few feet away. She moved toward it, checking it over. "Okay, okay… relax Nico, you've played enough games to know how this works." she said softly, grabbing a hold of the ammo box.

She pulled the bullet chain out of the box, opening the top of the box. It didn't take her long to actually load the weapon, in fact it was much easier than she expected. She pulled the loading rod twice, before peering down the iron sights. She took a deep breath, pulling the trigger, a squeal of surprise leaving her lips as the loud boom filled her ears. The crowd of infected was steadily stopped, as the powerful bullets killed them in their tracks.

Hearing the sounds from the mounted gun, Daisuke glanced over his shoulder, seeing Nyx hovering over Bethany, her hands glowing brightly. "Nyx, what the hell is going on? Who's up there?"

"Bethany was attacked by a one armed zombie. Nico decided to cover you all while I heal her up, she said we're running out of ammo!"

"Is she insane?"

"Daisuke, now is not the time to worry about her well being. She will be fine, focus on taking down the remaining infected." Haruna cried, firing the last round in her gun. She backed away, allowing Miyaki to take her place while she reloaded. "I have to admit, she's got a huge pair for going up there on her own."

"Hell yeah she does!" the man said, grinning.

Another minute went by, the crowd thinning down to a few stragglers. Nico let go of the trigger, just as the gun had jammed. The barrel was glowing a brilliant orange from all of the bullets it had fired. Nico sighed as she backed away from it, a proud look on her face. She heard something behind her and rapidly turned around, her eyes looking in all directions.

"H-hello?" she called out, grabbing a hold of her shotgun. "Whoever is there, I'll shoot!" she said. She remained silent for a few seconds, hearing loud footsteps on the metal stairs, she almost pulled the trigger until she saw it was just Daisuke. She let out a sigh, hugging the man tightly. "I almost shot you, you dick!"

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Thanks, I'm 100% fine. How is everyone else though? Is Bethany okay?" she asked, in a worried tone. The man nodded, glancing over his shoulder.

"She woke up just a moment ago, I guess Nyx figured out how to strengthen her healing light. She's pretty winded though. We should start moving, it won't be long until-" the man was cut off by the familiar whirling of chopper blades. Just over the edge of the building, the SCP Foundation's rescue chopper came into view, flying over the building towards the helipad. "-Finally, it's here! Come on Nico, let's get out of here!" he said excitedly, grabbing a hold of her hand.

"Wait, slow down!" the girl said, holding back her smile. She heard something fall behind her, and pulled Daisuke to a stop, glancing over her shoulder. She spotted something she hadn't seen on the ground before. "Hang on, I think I dropped something." she said.

"Don't take too long." he said, earning a nod from her. She walked forward, kneeling down before the object. She grabbed it from the ground, holding it up. "What the hell… it's a crystal."

"It must have fallen out of your pocket, forget about it. We need to start making it to the helipad!" he said. Nico sighed, following after the boy, not noticing the crystal had slowly started to glow. The two of them scrounge up what little ammo was left, moving with the others towards the helipad.

"Come on, hurry up! We don't have much time, the noise attracts them!" the pilot shouted over the speaker. To add insult to injury, another screech filled the air, another wave of infected was on the move, starting to pour onto the roof.

"Alright guys this is it! We're almost home free, we're going to make it!" Daisuke said cheerfully, having almost made it to the helipad.

This was it, he and his friends were home free. Their time on Hora Island would be over soon. He'd be able to finally leave, and start working on getting his mother back. He'd be able to get Charlotte, Nico and his friends out. He could go search for his sister, but most of all, he'd be able to plan his revenge on Jibo Momota, for what he had done to him and his friends.

At least… that's what he thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something zooming towards them at a rapid pace. As he reached the helipad, something struck the chopper, causing it to lose control. The pilot let out a scream as he tried to keep the vehicle stable. It didn't last long as another bright flash filled his line of sight. The helicopter caught flame exploding a second later, the resulting shockwave was enough to send Daisuke and everyone near him flying back. The sounds of gurgling were quieted for a brief moment as the flaming husk of metal fell from the top of Mercy Hospital, striking the streets below.

The man struggled to breathe as he tugged on his ear, unable to hear a thing. His eyes tried to focus on what was going on. Flaming pieces of metal and body parts littered the ground around him, as he tried to force himself to stand. The vertigo however kept him from standing for too long. His vision cleared, enough to see the others laying on the ground stunned at what had happened.

"What… what the hell just happened?" Eris cried, anger coursing through her body.

"Someone shot it down, that's what happened. Where are they? Where's the fucker that did that?" Mariana spat, beating her wings and shooting into the air. She scanned the ground below her, unable to spot anything.

"Why.. we were so close." Riku said softly as he fell to his knees. "This isn't fair! This isn't fucking fair!"

"We can't stick around for much longer. That explosion was loud enough to attract even more infected. If we don't leave now, we're going to die here." Alice said, loading a new magazine into her rifle. "Get up, we're going back down."

"What, are you fucking insane? Alice we can't go… we gotta call for help. We gotta get another chopper!" Reukra cried, a look of desperation on his face. "We can't go back down into the city, we can't!"

"Reukra sweetheart… we need to go. Even if we could call another chopper, we don't have enough ammo to kill these infected. We're running low, we've got a few injured and we are all tired. Going back down is our best option right now!" Haruna said firmly. He sighed, giving her a nod.

"No… this is bullshit!" Kanemoto snapped, stamping her foot angrily on the ground. "I lost Gardevoir up here, one of my friends! We cannot just give up!"

"I know it hurts Kanna, but we gotta go!" Charlotte added, pouring water into her gills. "It won't be long until-"

She was cut off by another screech, the fourth one they had heard in the short 15 minute span of time. They all shuddered knowing what was about to come. They grabbed a hold of their weapons, loading what little ammunition they had left.

"Okay… we uh… came out from over there. We need to head back down the elevator shaft into the 29th floor. We didn't take all the ammo from the safe room, if we can make it back there, we'll be golden!" Diego said, having finally reverted to normal.

"Then let's go. We stick close together, groups of six will do. We cover our backs, sides and whatever else is exposed. Nico you're with me." Sayaka said, glancing at her friend. She gave her a nod, taking a step forward, only to stop when the crystal in her hands started glowing brightly.

"Uh… what the hell is going on?" Shiro cried out fearfully, backing away from the girl. "What the heck is that thing?"

"I don't know, it fell out of my pocket earlier!" Nico said, holding it closer to herself. The crystal let out a pulse of light, covering the girl from head to toe. She let out a scream as she started disappearing. Daisuke reached a hand out to her, a look of fear on his face.

"NICO!"

She flashed out of existence just before he was able to grab her. He stopped in his tracks, unable to understand what was going on. He looked around for a moment, trying to see if her could spot the crystal or the silver-haired girl, but when he didn't find her, he let out an angry growl. "I'm going to kill you, Jibo Momota."

"They're almost upon us. Daisuke we've gotta go!" Dalila cried, grabbing a hold of his arm. He grabbed a hold of his rifle, squeezing its grip tightly. Charlotte gave him a worried look, not knowing what to say to him.

The skies above finally broke, releasing their torrential downpour upon the group. It was as if the world was trying to snub them, the rain was another reminder. A reminder of how despair served to dampen their hopes.

* * *

**Location: Jibo's Mansion**

**Time: 9:00 PM**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

"Here is your tea sir." Sebastian said, placing a platter before the man. Jibo gave him a nod, silently dismissing him.

"Heya Sebby! Mind bringing me something to eat? I'm completely famished after all the work I've been doing!" Kinsei said, as he entered the dining room. The butler said nothing, giving him a curt nod as he headed back to the kitchen. The young alchemist sat down, crossing his legs over the table top. "So, what's up pops, do anything interesting?"

"I've been keeping an eye on our subjects. The city's police surveillance system has been quite helpful," Jibo said, taking a sip of his tea. "I must admit, I wasn't expecting that virus to bring down the population of that city down in such a short period of time."

"It was a bioweapon designed to infect people with an airborne strain of Avian Ebola. What do you expect?" Kinsei said with a shrug. "I must admit, crossing two different diseases and adding a hint of Mad Cow disease was quite interesting. All of it is inert right? I would hate to start yacking my intestines out on this table."

"Yes… it is inert. Those that breathe it in however carry the sickness within them. Some might be carriers, but others who die may turn into infected shortly after. I have reason to suspect that it will be useful in the future." the man said firmly. He turned his gaze back to the laptop before him, as he surveyed the footage he had gotten from Saino. "What's this?"

"Huh… something wrong?"

"I thought you had transferred Miss Bessho and Miss Maizono to Hora Castle with the other surviving hostages. Why are they running around Silent Hill?" he asked firmly. Kinsei chuckled, brushing him off.

"I thought them sitting around in a castle would be a boring waste. So why not put them both through their paces? I mean, they've been dead for so long that they need to hit the ground running, so to say."

"I understand that, what I don't understand is why Miss Bessho managed to grab a hold of your teleportation crystal." the man said, turning the computer to Kinsei. He watched the video intently, eyes narrowed.

"I see you got those camouflaging drones up and running, that's pretty cool." He replied, focusing on the violet crystal that Nico had found, a cringe on his face. "Ooo… so that's what happened to that crystal."

"Mind explaining?"

"Uh yeah… well I recently finished crafting a special crystal from the information that you salvaged. You know, that teleportation tech that was developed a while ago? I wanted to see if I could synthesize an actual crystalized version of that. I managed to do that, but that crystal...kinda… sorta… was unstable." the alchemist said, causing the man to quirk a brow.

"How unstable?"

"Very." he said chuckling. "The moment I channeled some power into it, it disappeared from sight, I swear I searched this whole island for it. But I guess I never checked Silent Hill…"

"Kinsei… I had plans with Miss Bessho. I wished to place her in her own killing game on this island. I wanted to experiment with the new talent that I have given her." the Ultimate Biologist said, leaning back in his seat. "Now because of you, I am down a future subject."

"No you're not…. You got Sayaka Maizono to poke and prod, she'll be fine."

"Oh… you mean the idol that died twice already?" the man said. He felt a tickle at his throat, and was quick to soothe it with some tea. "Honestly, I have no idea how someone like her is still even on this mortal plane. It's as if this world put her on the globe to suffer. Being killed by Korekiyo Shinguji, as well as Hiyoko Saionji. I don't know why I bothered letting you revive her."

"Because making her suffer is fun of course! Besides with her here, you can replace the bitchy siren's missing sister. You did give Sayaka another talent after all, so why not capitalize on it?" the alchemist asked. Jibo sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"I didn't give her a new talent Kinsei… I had no reason to revive her, that fell on your shoulders." he said. Jibo grabbed a hold of his tea cup, shakily raising it to his lips as he let his anger slowly dissuade. "This is fine… everything will turn out fine. With luck, Sayaka is going to get killed on this island and her soul will hopefully move on. I never thought this one girl could give me such a pain in the ass."

"Hey… you used her body as a test subject for your revival tech. It wasn't my fault that she got another ticket. It wasn't my idea to put those in the Neo World Program after all. If you wanted to revive a few ghosts, why didn't you? Instead of making them go through that dumb simulation?"

"That my son, is something you'll never understand. In order for the dead to receive life, they need to be tested. Only the best humans can come back to life after all. Miyaki Hanao was the first, however, she was a failure. At least, in what I wanted to do. Despite that, our little project is moving forward nicely, I doubt she has even noticed the changes yet."

"Hmm." the alchemist hummed, lowering his eyes to the table. He remained silent for a few moments, before glancing back up at his father. "Hey, I got a question. What was the purpose of the Neo World Program exactly? Why was it that you put everyone through it?"

"That is simple. I wished to awaken that which was asleep."

"Huh?" Kinsei replied, quirking a brow. "Awaken that which was asleep? Why the hell do you always confuse me? Just tell me the answer!"

"You'll find out soon enough. Pay close attention, I'm certain the answer you seek shall arrive sooner or later. Especially now that the fog has started to roll in." he said, finishing his tea. Kinsei nodded dumbly. While he knew his father's scheme down to the finer details, he would never understand some of his choices. There was a lot of wasted potential, if he was running a killing game, he would make things a lot more interesting.

An idea formed in his head, making the smile on his face slowly start growing…

* * *

**Location: Mercy Hospital (Emergency Room Entrance)**

**Time: 11:00 PM**

**Date: August 13th, 2020**

It was with a heavy heart that the subjects of Class 78-C made their way back down to the emergency room of Mercy Hospital. Having spent the last few hours trying to take down the infected that had climbed up, the group of 20 was defeated, dejected and most of all, disappointed. They had spent the last of their ammunition during the downward trek, and what little was left in the safe room wouldn't be carrying them far. As they left the hospital, the group realized two things. 1, despair always managed to find a way to destroy the hopes of everyone. And number 2, it had gotten foggy.

Upon arriving on the ground floor, the group realized that it was a lot foggier than they remembered. Sure, due to their close proximity to the sea, they figured the fog would roll in eventually. Due to the rainstorm that had battered the island not that long ago, fog was expected. They just weren't expecting it to have gotten so thick.

For now, it was a rolling fog. They could still see their surroundings well, though if they looked at some distant buildings, they weren't able to distinguish many features. This fog felt… different… and no one was able to discern why. All they knew was that it was another thing they had to worry about, especially with the infected. Yet, that was another thing they had noticed. The infected had stopped coming at them completely. It was as if some supernatural phenomenon had caused them to end their fruitless pursuit. It was something that unnerved the group, especially after the tribulations they faced on the rooftop mere hours ago. Diego decided to address the group, who were tired and beaten, but rearing to go so long as they didn't stay at the hospital.

"Alright guys… things didn't turn out as well as we thought they would. I know this entire thing was a bust, but we did manage one thing. And that was to reunite, especially after traveling through this city on our own. We may have lost Miya, and Nico… and Kanemoto lost Gardevoir as well-" the man said, pausing as he gauged the looks on their faces. He sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. "-Look… I'm sorry… about all of this, truly I am."

"It isn't your fault Diego. We tried our best right? That's what matters in the end, Miss Dalila said that no matter what, so long as we try our hardest, things will turn out fine!" Seisha said, a grin on his face. The man chuckled, giving him a nod.

"That's right bud, things will turn out alright."

"I have no idea why it is you think that. Look around you," Shiro said, gesturing to the city with her hands. "We are trapped in a dead city, surrounded by zombies that now got a +25 to Stealth because of the fog. Face it, we're more fucked here than we were on the Titanic. At least there we had a chance to survive."

"Some more than others." Riku spat sourly, looking away when Bethany gave him a death glare. Steam was beginning to rise from her skin as the fog made contact with her skin.

"Things may look bleak, but we have to stay positive!" Sayaka said cheerfully. She stood before the group, giving them a wink. "Come on! The more we stand around here, the less time we have to find a way out!"

"Apologies Saya, but even your 'Stage Persona' won't be able to uplift me." the Ultimate Storyteller said, glancing to his right. He noticed some bright light, realizing it was a tower of flames. The burning remains of the rescue chopper had blocked the only exit from Mercy Hospital Proper, leaving them with nowhere to go but straight. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Sometimes… you just gotta know when to fold them."

"What? Oh come on Dais, don't tell me you of all people are giving up." the girl said, earning no reply from him. She closed the distance between them, placing her hands on his shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. "Look at me, we have made it this far! We are alive aren't we? That's a miracle in and of itself. Now it is time for us to pick ourselves up and continue moving forward!"

"To where? To our deaths? Because that's what we'll be doing if we keep blindly moving forward. Come on Saya, even you have to realize what a moot point this is. We've got no food, no water, we're low on ammo and half of us are tired. Not to mention Bethany is still injured, Mackenzie has stitches that could pop at any moment and Miyaki can barely walk due to the strain she put on her leg."

"He's right you know." Alice quipped, grabbing her attention. She had been busy tying her hair back into a ponytail, not wanting it to get snagged by a zombie or something else. "Blindly moving forward will only get us killed. We've got nowhere to go, no plan, nothing. We banked on this being our escape when we should have made a contingency plan."

"I'm… I'm disappointed in you!" the blue haired idol said, glaring at the three 'leaders' of the group. "I may not know you that well Diego, but you planned everything extensively with Dais and Alice. You must know that we can do something about this right? Find another place to go?"

"I dunno… with how things turned out, I'm not sure if we can find a place to go."

"Don't give me that, come on Alice back me up here. You are a former member of Fenrir, surely you can come up with something!" the girl continued. Alice however remained silent, not knowing how to respond. She turned to one of her few remaining high school friends, who was being consoled by Charlotte. "Daisuke… we've known each other for a long time. Practically since middle school. Sure it was in passing, and I only heard you reading stories at the park once before Hope's Peak but… out of everyone here, I know you are the one most capable of inspiring hope in everyone."

"Inspire hope? Whatever gave you that idea?"

"You're a storyteller. Your stories are filled with joy, happiness and hope… maybe it won't happen now, but don't you think a story about hope might cheer us all up. Even if it's an inspiring speech, it might give us the confidence to move forward! You remind me so much of Makoto that-"

"Stop." the man snapped, causing the idol to freeze in place. "Don't compare me to him."

"Why not? You were full of hope not that long ago, surely you can instill it in others! You have what it takes to-"

"That's enough Sayaka. I know you are trying to give us hope but please just stop. You have to know when the shit hit the fan. Sometimes people aren't ready to deal with the splatter. None of us were ready, and right now the last thing we need is false hope." Daisuke snapped, glaring at the woman as he brushed past her. "Don't compare me to Makoto… I am not him. I am far from the likes of him. People can't become the Ultimate Hope by spouting sappy flowery bullshit whenever they want. Even my stupid stories can't make us forget about how fucked all of us are. Maybe it's time to throw in the fucking towel and call it quits."

"Maybe he's right." Reukra said, taking a hold of Haruna's hand. He gave her a frown, not knowing what to say. "I think it's time for us all to accept our fate. That we're destined to stay on this island until we die."

"That's probably our best option." Riku said, chuckling. "From dust we came, and to dust we will return. It's kind of poetic really."

"Well well, this is mighty interesting. I wasn't expecting the group of go-getters to have met a shitty end at the hands of despair." a familiar voice said.

Walking out of the fog was none other than Lars. The Ultimate Demonologist had his hands shoved in his pocket, having found himself a new hooded trench coat, with long studded straps and metallic designs onto it. It had a high collar, which was covered in silver studs, there was a patch on the left sleeve that was in the shape of a pentagram. Standing beside him was the blonde woman from before, the one he had called 'Andrea', who currently had her hand on the hilt of her sword. He let out a chuckle as he stopped before the group.

"Wonderful weather we're having eh? First it was raining, and now it's foggy. Very peculiar, wouldn't you say?"

"Are you sure you didn't use some sort of witchcraft to conjure it up? You blaspheming heathen?" Bethany snapped, glaring at the man. "As the Oracle of Atua, I can sense when things are amiss. Especially when beings of darkness are summoned into this world, that woman beside you is one such being!"

"A worshipper of Atua? In this day and age… my how intriguing. I thought your pagan people had long since become extinct." Andrea said, holding back a giggle. "Oh, would you look at that, she's got a tattoo on her arm detailing the story of her god. Too bad Atua was a sniveling little weasel who had absolutely no power over the mortal coil."

"Okay listen… I dunno who the hell you are, and I don't exactly give a shit. We've been down on our luck for a while, and I will not have you rub our failures in our faces. So you and your friend can take a fucking hike, because I am sick and tired of your shit!" Mackenzie snapped, glaring at the two.

"Ohoho! The painter grew a pair of balls, I'm impressed! She seems to be the only one with balls in this group anyway. Seeing as your collective testicles shot so far up your ass that you turned into whores. Whatever the case, I am not here to rub anything on your faces. I am merely here to guide you."

"Guide us? You? Pinch me, I must be dreaming." Daisuke said, screaming a second later when Shiro pinched his arm. "Ow… did you seriously have to do that?"

"What? It's what you asked!"

"Well, while you all were traversing the floors of No Mercy Hospital, me and my lovely sister here were exploring this area of the city. Not far from here there is a small shopping plaza, along with what seems to be a motel." Lars stated, earning looks of skepticism from the others. "Well, don't all clap at once."

"Pardon us for withholding our enthusiasm. After the shit that we went through on the roof of this hospital, all of which you were absent for by the way, we wish to take no chances with information." Alice said.

"Which is why I will vouch for him. We've searched the place extensively. There is a clothing and apparel shop, along with a small grocery store and a gun store as well. The motel is large enough to house your entire group." Andrea said firmly. Lars chuckled, leaning forward slightly.

"See? What did I tell you."

"I don't buy this." Daisuke said, narrowing his eyes. "You've stated countless times that you hate us and that you'd never help us. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well… I figured all of you would fail spectacularly on the way to the roof of Mercy Hospital. I figured that I would search for a means to house all of you sore losers. Just in case something happened, and guess what? Just in case became the true case after all! So you may all bow down in worship, for your god has provided you with lodgings for the night."

"I say we go this way." Diego suddenly said, pointing to the other route. "We might find supplies there."

"I agree, let's go. No use in holding our breaths here." Charlotte added.

"Alright, alright! Hang on a moment… I forgot to mention one last thing." Lars said, having made everyone stop. He cracked his shoulders, giving everyone a grin. "There's a karaoke bar."

"Karaoke? You were banking on all of us to just like karaoke? Who the hell do you think we are? Kids in 2009?" Shiro snapped, shaking her head. "Face it, there is nothing you can say that will change our minds!"

"The fashion boutique that has its own seamstress shop built in."

"Change of plans, we're going there. Right. Fucking. Now!" the gyaru said, swiveling on her heel as she changed directions towards where Lars was pointing. Daisuke sighed, deciding to go along with Shiro.

"Excellent choice miss, right this way!"

"I don't know what it is you are planning, but you better knock it off. Or I will kill you." Daisuke said as he walked past the man.

"I'm not planning anything. Honestly, I could watch you fail all day if I wanted too, but what's the fun in watching you fail if you all die?"

"Oh boy, that's so reassuring." Mariana sighed shaking her head. They continued walking in the direction that Lars had pointed out to them. Dalila looked around with worry, swallowing the lump in her throat. Her ear perked up when she heard the sounds of barking nearby, though they were muffled by the fog.

She paused for a moment, glancing over her shoulder. Sitting near an ambulance, was a dog. A corgi in fact. It was panting, tail wagging happily as it watched the group. She tilted her head in confusion, about to approach the dog when it got up, racing into the fog.

"Dalila, let's go. We can't waste anymore time." Diego said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded, turning around to face him.

"Did you see it? The dog?"

"Dog? What dog?"

"I." she shook her head. "Nevermind, I must be seeing things."

"Come on, before we're left behind." the Mexican boy said, leading her back towards the others.

The group didn't know what they were going to face. The only thing they knew was that they were tired, wet and hungry. If Lars had found a place for them to stay, then they would have to trust him. Even if they could trust him just as far as they could throw him. It was better than to walk around aimlessly through the fog. None of them were prepared for the creatures that they would face, when the fog fully ran in...

_**xxx(End of Act 5)xxx**_

**A/N: Hello guys! It's been a while since my last update hasn't it? I know I said these were gonna be written before my trip to DC and for the most part they were. I only have four more acts to finish this chapter off. But it has been quite the challenge to write anythning. I've been writing Danganronpa for a while and I've grown very fatigued with the series. However, this doesn't mean I will stop writing this series. I will of course, finish off the chapter since I have already started it. However, the final chapters of Isle of the Damned will come at a later date. Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 will most likely be the longest chapters of this story, as a lot of things happen here. So I want to plan out as much of the events as I can. So once I finish posting the last four acts of Chapter 3, I will be taking a break from DR, focusing only on Oasis of Despair. I would like to apologize in advance, but I just can't keep writing this, it's become stale for me haha.  
**

**As such, I will be releasing the final Acts of Chapter 3 every two weeks or so. I am retroactively adding things I didn't add during the beginning stages as well as during the writing process, so I want to add certain things to each chapter. This won't affect you as you haven't read the original chapters yet so you don't have to worry about that! I want to bring out the most of this area, basing based off of "Silent Hill". This chapter also marks the end of the "No Mercy" half of this chapter and ends the "Left4Dead" part of the story. I do hope you all enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun writing this part and remembering all of the fun times I had in Left4Dead... and by fun, I mean the shit times where I got charged off of Mercy Hospital by a Charger, those muther fuckers, God I hate them...**

**Well... see ya... soonish?**


	38. C3 Act 6: As the Fog Rolls In

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 3

Act 6: As the Fog Rolls In

**_xxx_**

**Location: Havenhill Plaza**

**Time: 12:05 AM**

**Date: August 14th, 2020**

Haverhill Plaza was a small section of the city, that seemed a bit secluded from the destroyed areas. The group was quick to notice that only a few streets had been left unblocked. Large concrete dividers had been placed instead of the usual metal fences, making it much harder for the infected to climb them. They were over twelve feet tall and topped with an extra 2 feet of fencing and barbed wire. It was safe to say that no infected was getting over them. The only entrance into this 'quarantine' area seemed to be a sort of toll booth, with large metallic gates that opened at the press of a button. Lars, who had taken the lead for whatever reason, stuck his hand through the broken glass, pressing the red button. The machine whirled to life, as the fence slowly rolled open.

"This way kids!" he said cheerfully. Andrea followed closely along, a hand on the hilt of her sword as she briskly walked forward.

"I don't know about you, but I don't trust him." Alice said softly, earning a chuckle from Daisuke, who tightened his grip on his rifle.

"I never have." he spoke, glancing around the area. The plaza itself was quite big, as Lars had said there were a few stores there that quickly grabbed their attention.

Rarity's Boutique was the first that they saw. It was an old style brick building with large parlor windows, giving a good view of the mannequins that were on display. Each one was dressed in a lovely outfit, that seemed to be made out of the finest materials in the world. The little squeal that came from Shiro let him know that she wanted to dive in there as soon as possible.

A few feet away from it, was the grocery store that Lars had mentioned, though it was more of a market than a full store. Rocket Punch Market, a store chain that Daisuke recognized from Tokyo. That at least let him know that Hora Island was near the Japanese mainland, or at least near Asia. That however didn't help him in that particular instance. It was on a much smaller scale, the normal Walmart among the sea of Super Centers. Even if it was small, it was loaded with supplies which they needed to survive, so they weren't complaining about it. The parking lot was mostly empty, save a few cars that had been left abandoned. There was a Military Armored Vehicle as well, though it seemed like it wouldn't start.

Finally, the locale next to the Grocery store was the aforementioned Karaoke Bar. Karaoke Kaikan, a chain that Daisuke himself didn't recognize. The building was a single story, but was quite large as it took up its own area of the street. The large neon sign was shining proudly through the light fog, one of the letters buzzing loudly as it flicked. The exterior was styled in an 80s vibe, with large decorative records attached to the buildings. There were tinted windows on the front and sides of the building, which featured decals of famous pop stars, including Sayaka Maizono, decked out in her idol outfit. She was winking at the non-existent crowd, a microphone clutched in her hand.

"Hey look, the sexiest idol on the island is ready to sing a song." Charlotte said jokingly, earning a glare from the idol. "Oh don't give me that!"

"Stop, it's so embarrassing. I was 15 when that picture was taken, I don't even fit in that outfit anymore." she replied. Kanemoto let out a whistle, focusing on one area in particular.

"You were that big at fifteen? Jeez what did you do to get huge knockers?"

"N-nothing really." Sayaka replied, tilting her head slightly. "I didn't think Double D's were that huge. I mean, my sister was bigger than me when I was that age. I haven't seen her in a while though. I'm certain she's grown bigger than I have, probably rocking D's now."

"Why are we talking about boobs?" Mariana asked curiously, glancing around the street. "Aren't there more important things to talk about?"

"Hell no! Boobs breathe life into my tired and worn vestige! What about you Kenzie, don't you think boobs are awesome?" Shiro asked curiously. The painter didn't say a word, rather she looked away from the executioner, a flush on her cheeks.

"Ugh… I do not know what the appeal of those mounds of excess fat is. They're useless in the grand scheme of things, just lob them off." Lars said, shaking his head as he pointed across the street. "There, the motel of which I spoke of. It houses multiple apartments, though it only totals 15, I've already claimed my own and so has my sister here. That leaves you with 13 apartments to split between you." the man said, spinning his keys around his finger.

"Hey wait, that isn't fair!" Reukra cried, causing the man to stop. "Why the hell do you get first pick huh?"

"Because I'm the one that found this place, I'm the one that lead you here, and I am the one who can end your existence without so much as a thought." the man said, driving each point into the boy's chest with a finger. Reukra fearfully backed away. "Good, you are starting to see things my way. See you in the morrow peasants, try not to kill each other."

With that, the man took his leave, followed by his blonde companion. She said nothing to them as she walked, briefly locking eyes with Daisuke and Diego. She gave them a small smirk before continuing on her way. She disappeared quietly into her suite, while Lars audibly slammed his door.

"What an unbearable prick." Haruna said, earning nods of agreement from the others.

"Now that he's gone, we're gonna have to figure out a way to split rooms. There are 13 rooms and 18 of us. We're gonna have to double and even triple up if we wish to stay here. I'm sure these rooms only have basic amenities, but even then it's better than nothing." Diego said.

"W-well, if you don't mind… I could share a unit with you Diego. Seisha could stay with us as well, we could be our own little group." Dalila said, giving the man a smile. The samebito held back a yawn, rubbing his eyes as he held onto the dryad.

"Me and Alice can sleep together!" Nyx said cheerfully. Alice quirked a brow, a small smirk on her face. The halfling gasped, quickly raising her hands. "Not like that!"

"Easy girl, easy. I know what you meant." Daisuke said with a chuckle. He looked around for a moment, before nodding. "I'll take a room with Charlotte, it uh… only makes sense."

"I don't mind one bit." the siren said, giving him a smile. She blushed a cherry red, already thinking of naught thoughts.

"I'm taking one by myself. So don't even think of pairing anyone up with me." Riku said, heading towards one of the rooms. The keys were thankfully hanging from the knobs. He grabbed a hold of the key for room 8 and walked inside, slamming the door behind himself.

"HAVE FUN JACKING OFF!" Shiro shouted, having cupped her hands over her mouth. "Haah… what a loser. Anyway, me and Kenzie will take a room together. I wanna braid her hair like we did on the Titanic Plus, we need to talk about things." she grabbed the painter's hand, leading her along. "Sayonara and goodnight!" she saluted, disappearing into room 7.

"Let's just pick a room and go to sleep, we can explore tomorrow." Reukra said, holding back his yawn. He was leaning against Haruna, who had her arm around his waist, holding him up. Though she looked tired, she looked more coherent than he did.

"Right on! Even though we kicked a lot of zombie ass, we gotta wash away the sins and the blood! I love the smell of iron as much as the next lady but goddamn I smell like sweat." Rebecca said, tugging on her shirt as she walked. "See y'all in the morning, use protection!" she continued, as she briefly passed Daisuke and Charlotte. Charlotte's blush increased while Daisuke just sighed.

"Alright… we're just pussy footing right now. Let's just… rest up. We'll check out the nearby facilities in the morning. Something tells me the infected aren't going to get in here so easily." Diego said, trying to be cheerful. He only earned groans of fatigue from the rest of the group.

* * *

**Location: Haverhill Motel (Suite 9: Daisuke and Charlotte's Suite)**

**Time: 12:20 AM.**

**Date: August 14th, 2020**

The Ultimate Storyteller sighed as he lay back on the bed. The bed was nothing fancy, a full size with a pea green comforter. The walls were painted a soft light green color, and had two light fixtures above the bed. The header was brown in color, matching the twin nightstands at either side of the bed. Beautiful, stained-glass lamps sat on each one. There was a flat screen television on the dresser in the front of the room, however, there was nothing on television as there was no signal.

It was also the first time (In the real world) that he had taken a shower, at least since arriving in Hora Island. It was odd to be able to enjoy something that others would consider commonplace. But after running around on an island being chased by monsters and what not, something as simple as a shower became a heavenly activity. After settling in, he and Charlotte had stopped at the nearby apparel shop for a change of clothes. They had grabbed things at random, wanting to be in and out. It was something the others had been doing too, since their outfits were smeared in blood, dirt, sweat and whatever else Hora Island had thrown at them.

Even now, he just lay back wearing nothing more than a white tank top and a pair of basketball shorts, along with some crew socks. It was something he would have normally worn if he was back home. His messenger bag was hanging from the bedpost, his rifle resting against the night stand. He didn't have much ammunition left, but the gun-store nearby would quickly take care of that. He stretched his arms above his head, briefly closing his eyes.

"Hey sweetheart, do you think you could help me?" Charlotte called out, causing the man to sit up. He glanced over his shoulder at the open bathroom door.

"With what? You need someone to wash your hair?" he asked jokingly. He heard her groan audibly.

"No, did you forget I'm a siren? If I get my legs wet I sprout a tail. I uh… kinda need help getting out of the tub." she said, sounding sheepish. The man swallowed hard, slowly rising to his feet.

"Are you sure?" He asked cautiously, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes.

"Yes."

"Are you really sure? I mean you are naked after all and it would be rude to-"

"Daisuke for fuck sakes. We've already had sex, you've seen me in my full glory, will you get your ass in here before I fucking prune?" the siren snapped, causing him to move forward.

"Alright, jeez. I just wanted to make sure." he said, entering the room. His eyes widened a bit as he got a full view of the siren's body.

Sure, he had seen it before, but this was the first time he had seen her tail. It was a beautiful light pink color, shimmering in the light as if it were made of glittering crystals. The top half of her tail, from the waist down was a dark pink that slowly lightened up until it reached the tip of her tail which was a soft coral pink. Her tail fins were a soft pink, and completely see through, small flecks came from the sides. She moved slightly, causing him to look up at her face. She had a look of curiosity on it, her smooth pink hair falling down to her waist. Her forearms were covered entirely in scales, the fins at her wrists had grown as well. He noticed the fins around her cheeks were more defined, which made her eyes sparkle even more in the light. He knelt down beside her, giving her a smile.

"Hey."

"Uh… you okay?"

"I am, it's just… your tail is so mesmerizing. It's so shiny, and the scales around your cheeks makes your eyes sparkle in the light." he said softly. The girl swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling herself growing hot.

"D-do you want to touch it? M-my tail I mean." she said, gesturing to her lower half.

"Oh I… I don't want to impose. I think I should just focus on getting you out of this tub." he said, about to stand up. She grabbed a hold of his hand, slowly guiding it to her tail. He didn't say anything as she let go of his hand. He brushed his fingertips across her tail, a small frown on his face. "It's uh… slimy."

"It keeps my scales moist. It isn't that bad!" she exclaimed in embarrassment. He let out a chuckle.

"I kid… you have a very beautiful tail. Does it hurt… you know when you transform?" he asked curiously. She shook her head, glancing ahead.

"The first time it happened, it did hurt. It was awful, all of the bones in my legs broke apart, became disjointed as they reformed to make my tail. The scales hurt like hell, it was the most painful experience of my life, save slamming my pinkie toe into a damn table at three am."

"Or stepping on a lego." Daisuke said. She snorted, holding back a giggle.

"Mhmm… the second time I transformed, it was at the lake. It felt more natural this time around, it didn't even hurt. It was like my bones were popping in and out of place, forming my tail. It's like cracking your knuckles, except your entire lower half."

"I see… well I guess it isn't so bad then. I was just concerned for your well-being, I didn't know if it hurt to transform like this." he said, as he kept stroking her tail, and absentminded look on his face. He realized what he was doing after a second and cleared his throat. "I should get you outta this tub."

"That would be for the best, my ass is sore."

He rolled his eyes, slipping his arms around her waist and the bend of her tail, lifting her out of the tub with ease. She let out a small squeal as he grabbed her, wrapping her arm tightly around his shoulder. The flush on her face darkened as he moved her towards the nearby toilet, gently setting her down. He grabbed a hold of the pink towel, placing it on her tail.

"The hair dryer." Charlotte said softly, pointing towards the sink. He nodded, grabbing a hold of the device, he turned it on high and started drying off her tail, while she patted it with the towel.

"This won't dry it out will it?"

"No… I made sure to bathe in salt water. I've also got that mint lotion from the store for my legs, I'm sure that'll be enough." she replied, as she felt the scales slowly start to disappear. She felt a bit more bold, a small smile on her face. "I'm surprised you haven't been staring at my boobs."

"That's because I respect you Charlie."

"Hmm… are you sure about that? I've seen you staring at them lecherously as we walk. You like how they bounce don't you? Go on… I know you wanna look~"

"No Charlotte, I want to help you with your tail okay?" Daisuke said softly, not looking up. Her legs were slowly returning as the scales had fully disappeared.

"So you don't want to stare at my boobs? Because I remember you were staring at them intently on the Titanic. Not just mine but Nico's as well." she said, grinning. He lowered the hair dryer, bowing his head.

"Can we not talk about her?" he asked softly. She sighed, placing a hand on his cheek.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I didn't mean to bring her up. I'm sad too okay?" she said, making him look up at her. She swept his bangs out of his eyes, focusing directly at the warm pools of blue. "I'm sure she's perfectly fine. That crystal looked like it just teleported her out of here, if that makes sense."

"I know… I'm sure that she's fine but… a part of me is scared for her. I just feel bad you know? We hooked up in the Titanic because that's what she wanted. But now I feel like I've used her. I actually looked forward to the prospect of pursuing a relationship with her. If uh… you consented to it, of course."

"Of course I would! I mean, I've never been in a relationship before… it's weird thinking about stuff like that, despite being almost 20. I always wanted to find a man who would sweep me away, and take me away from Alaska, maybe we could see the world. I wasn't expecting to meet a really sweet guy who has such a marvelous way with words." she said, swooning. She cocked her head to the left slightly, cheeks growing brighter. "And I had the pleasure of meeting such a nice girl too. She was so cute and gentle… I am disappointed that we didn't get to explore our relationship. And you got to kiss her while I didn't you dick!"

"She kissed me, not the other way around! Besides you had time while we were in the elevator!" he said.

"Ah yes, because I'm going to make out with her in the corner of an elevator, soaked to the bone with blood and vomit. That's real sexy." Charlotte said, rolling her eyes. She sighed as she got her legs back. She covered her waist with the towel, raising her foot up and willing her toes. "I may detest Jibo with all of my heart, but I really like being a siren. Even if I can't sing."

"I'm sure you can sing just fine. There's just one problem… you know, hypnotizing all of the men and some such. But it'll be fine!" he said brushing it off. Charlotte nodded, pursing her lips a bit. She let out a playful giggle, running her finger over his jawline, before tilting his head forward. She brushed her hair back, exposing her bare chest to him.

"Don't be afraid to look. Remember what I said on the Titanic? I'm yours… we may not have known each other for long, but what I feel in my heart for you is real. It's a whirlwind romance but, when love hands on the same scale as hope and despair, you sort of have to make a choice. I'd rather fall in love while experiencing despair than make it out alone and walk towards hope."

"That was so cheesy." the boy mumbled, holding back a chuckle. Charlotte pursed her lips, flicking him a flick on the nose. He fell back, stunned for a moment before glaring at her. "What the hell Charlie?"

The siren smirked, leaning back against the toilet, letting her towel fall to the floor. She bit the corner of her lip sensually as she slowly spread her legs, showing off her precious jewel. The Ultimate Storyteller tensed up a bit, as he looked at it. It was for a brief second before he shifted his gaze away, his face glowing red in embarrassment.

"Do you… wanna mess around?"

"No… Charlotte we can't." he said frowning. He rubbed his eyes, tiredly glancing at the wall. "Any other night Charlie, I would love to. That moment we had on the Titanic was magical. But we're both so tired, and you never know what might happen."

"O-oh… yeah you're right. I'm stupid… I shouldn't have even offered." the woman said, standing up from her seat. She grabbed a hold of the towel, wrapping it around her waist. She walked into the other room, a look of disappointment on her face. He sighed, grabbing the hair dryer, placing it on the skin.

"Hey now, don't call yourself stupid. Just because we can't do anything right now doesn't mean we won't have the chance. It's just… the two of us are exhausted, I would have for you to get winded or anything of the sort. Having sex in a virtual game is different than in real life. Especially with your gills."

She remained silent, having sat down on the bed. Daisuke was right, she hadn't even thought about that. It usually took between half an hour to an hour for her gills to go completely dry. She needed to constantly pour water in them to make sure they were moist. The past few hours had been easy for her due to the moisture in the air. However in a motel room, things were different. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I can't even have normal sex without running into an issue. Maybe being a siren isn't all it's cracked up to be." she replied. Daisuke rolled his eyes, gently pushing her back onto the bed. Before she realized what was going on, the man had knelt before her, staring at her bald pussy.

"Okay… I may not be fully in the mood, but I'll at least help you get off. You clearly need it," he said with a laugh. Charlotte gasped as he ran his tongue over her entrance. He grabbed a hold of her legs as he buried his nose further into her vulva.

"Oh~ this feels so much better in real life." the girl moaned, burying her nails digging into his scalp. She threw her head back as he continued pleasing her, the soft squelching noises only served to turn her on. She moaned as he slid a single digit in, rubbing the inner wall of her vagina.

"I'm not hurting you am I?"

"N-no… it's fine. I'm just a little tight, I'm still a virgin in the real world, remember?" she said softly. He gave her a nod of understanding, shortly before going back in.

He suckled on her click, flicking it with the tip of his tongue. Her moans became louder as he continued his ministrations. Charlotte was panting hard, her heart beating furiously in her chest. This felt a lot more different in real life. A lot. Every single touch, lick and flick sent pure flames through her nerves. She didn't remember being so sensitive. She had masturnbated before, but had never gone farther than two fingers. Daisuke had somehow managed to fit three inside her. He slowly pumped his hand, his thumb rubbing her clit gently.

"Hah-hah~ this is… I can't even~"

"I'm trying to find something, I think I'm getting close to-"

"OH FUCK!"

"Yep, I found it." the man jokingly said, as he continued rubbing that one spot. He quickened his pace, his hand drenched in her love juices. Charlotte grabbed a handful of her towel, squeezing it so hard her knuckles had turned white. She could feel it, the pressure burning in the pit of her stomach. It was as if something was telling her she was going to explode soon. Every muscle in her body began to tense, and she felt her toes curling as she took a deep breath. The two of them didn't even hear the knocks on the door until it was too late. The door swiftly opened, and someone walked in.

"Hey guys, I hope I'm not bothering-" Miyaki stopped mid sentence, eyes widening when she realized what her friends were doing. Charlotte looked to her right, letting out a scream which evolved into a moan as had reached her orgasm. Daisuke's eyes had gone wide, the color had drained from his face, he didn't even feel Charlotte's rush of liquid bathing his hand and shirt.

"Um… I'm sure you have a lot of questions." Daisuke said, after a second. His mind was on autopilot, he didn't even notice himself gesturing with his soaked hand, having splattered some of his girlfriend's nectar on the television screen.

"S-Shiro is… measurements, taking…" the girl stopped, slapping her hands against her cheeks. She looked at the floor, having grabbed a handful of her skirt. "Shiro is taking measurements at the boutique. She said she wanted to make outfits for everyone and sent me to tell you. I uh… I'm sorry, fuck… I should have knocked!"

"It's fine." Charlotte said, barely above a whisper. Her face was so red that one could see the steam pouring from her ears.

"I'm gonna go, I gotta to master… I mean I gotta go back to Shiro and mas…" Miyaki paused, locking eyes with the two. She grit her teeth, clenching her eyes tightly shut. "Fuck it, I'm gonna go masturbate… this is what you two forced me to do, you perverts!"

"Next time don't just barge into someone's motel room." Daisuke said cheekily. Having recovered from her embarrassment, Charlotte sat up on the bed, giving Miyaki a wink.

"Have fun Kiki, make sure you think of Peter's long throbbing erection, that usually helps me get off." she said. Miyaki slammed the door closed so hard, they two felt the frame buckling.

"She isn't going to look at either of us the same way again, you do know that right?" Daisuke said, earning a nod from Charlotte.

"That's what she gets for ruining my orgasm. Now make sure that door is locked, you helped me to get off, but I have to return your kindness." she said, licking her lips. Daisuke chuckled, making sure the door was locked. Perhaps they could have a little fun tonight after all…

* * *

**Location: Haverhill Rifle Association (Gun Store)**

**Time: 8:05 AM**

**Date: August 14th, 2020**

The rifle association wasn't a full-blown gun store. It was more of a shooting range than anything. While some of the guns and rifles had been taken, there were still quite a number of firearms that had been left behind. This also included a back shelf that was filled to the brim with ammunition. Cases of ammunition spanning from .22 Long Rifle to .50 BMG could be seen neatly placed on the shelves behind the large counter. The building was made entirely out of concrete and had vaulted ceilings. Various creatures had been mounted to the wall, deer, moose, bison and even a zebra, all of them being 100% real. There was a door near the back that lead to the shooting range. There was nothing of interest there, aside from hundreds of empty shell casings. It was a place that they could use, especially with those that weren't trained in firearms. Another thing they had been lucky to find was a map, one that Diego, Daisuke and Alice were currently looking at.

"We're right here, in Haverhill Plaza. This road leads back to Mercy Hospital, which can still be seen, despite the bits of fog in the air." Diego said, tracing the road that led back to the hospital with his finger tip. Daisuke, you said you woke up near some apartments right?"

"That's right. Haruna, Miyaki, Mackenzie, Shiro and I spent the night in a truck, and then made our way through some apartment buildings. We ended up going through the subway tunnels and were directed towards the waste management plant that brought us to the front of Mercy, right here."

"Hmm… Alice, your group went through the subway tunnels as well. You said you ended up at a KFC right next to a packaging depot?" the Mexican boy asked.

"That's correct, we walked in this direction from the KFC, through the facility and into the sewers, though we came out behind Mercy, right at the emergency doors." she said, giggling. "I find it completely odd that all of us were traversing the same areas and we didn't run into each other once."

"That is true. Maybe… maybe this city fucks with the ones that inhabit it. That's what Jibo wants… he wants us to get disoriented with the fog."

"Dais, you are thinking far too hard on this. The fog is just that, fog. There's nothing supernatural about it, except for the fact that it's so damn thick that you can't see shit. Yet, you can still see everything in the plaza perfectly fine." the former Fenrir member said firmly.

"I feel like I've heard of this before. A thick fog that rolls in and envelopes an entire city… and its so thick you can't even see your hand in front of you." Diego said, shaking his head. "Whatever the case may be, this map of Haverhill Heights will be of great use. Look here, just on the outskirts of town, there's a Military Base."

"That must be where the helicopter pilot was refueling yesterday. It does fit with the time table he gave us, it would probably take 15 minutes to from there to here. But then what… he said that we were his final run. Does that mean they managed to get out all of the people they could?" the storyteller asked curiously.

"Who knows really? What I do know is that this place will be a huge boon to us all. I myself know military code. As a former member of Fenrir, I still have credentials… if I can get in contact with my former General, Sachiko, or even Mukuro, we could get them to help us." Alice said firmly.

"Yes, that would be ideal but… is it worth the risk?" Daisuke asked curiously. The two gave him an odd look, causing him to sigh. "Look, I know you two are giving me the stink eye right now, but hear me out at least. We spent the better half of yesterday fighting infected and climbing a hospital only to have our means of escape destroyed literally before our eyes. Is going to this base worth it? Especially if we run into the same issue?"

"You aren't wrong in that regard." Diego sighed, scratching his scalp. He didn't know how to respond to the man, especially with what had happened. "We can't stay here, that much is certain. How much time do we truly have? Before something else happens? I know the hospital was our way out before, but this place might offer us what we need."

"I will take full responsibility if something goes wrong Daisuke. This is my idea after all… going to this military base and securing more weapons would be a good idea as well. I believe getting some armored vehicles would be a game changer for all of us. We could travel the dangers of this island without risking ourselves to the open terrain."

"Okay okay… I know when I'm beaten." the man said with a laugh. He ruffled the veterinarian's hair, giving her a wink. "I trust you Alice. I know you'll lead us to the light of hope… it's just after yesterday, I let myself get too comfortable. I lost Nico, and I almost lost Charlotte as well. I can't let that happen again."

The doors to the store opened, the bell jingling softly as Rebecca made her way in. She was walking forward with a spring in her step, wiggling her hips as she walked. She was puffing on a cigarette, letting it rest on the corner of her mouth as she looked around the room. She raised her hand in a brief greeting, giving the group a grin. "Hiya!"

"Hello Rebecca."

"Becky, my friends call me Becky, or Becca, whichever you prefer." she said, brushing Alice off. She took a drag from her cigarette, pulling her glasses to the top of her head while glancing at the map. "Hoo, y'all planning our next move?"

"Something like that…" Daisuke said, taking a step away from the woman. He gave her a once over, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Are you sure we haven't met before? I feel like we've met somewhere?"

"Not unless you were in Los Angeles after the Tragedy began. Got drafted the moment that shit went down and boy am I a changed woman. Nothing wakes me up in the morning quite like the smell of napalm." she said, giggling. "I can tell y'all are wary of me, so I know when I'm not wanted. I can take my leave if I'm bothering ya."

"You aren't… it's just… we've lost so many friends recently that we have a hard time opening up to strangers. The last person that joined our team was with Alice here. We thought he was our friend but he turned out to be a mole for the mastermind of this game." Diego explained. At the memory of Ethan, Alice's expression soured, making her look away.

"Ah… I getcha. I had a few people like that in my squad, all of them turned tail when shit went south. None of them survived the initial infection, I'm the last Marine on this island, yessiree. I know you have issues, but I am as trustworthy as they come. I would show ya my Purple Heart, but I lost it during the initial wave of infected." she said, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Doesn't it bother you?" the veterinarian suddenly asked, causing the woman to look down. She continued, a look of annoyance on her face. "The smoke I mean? Doesn't it bother you knowing that those cancer sticks are slowly killing you?"

"Hmm… not really. After all of the shit I've seen kid, I need some sort of stress relief… I can't exactly find me a man and relieve it that way. And even if I did, no one wants to be with the girl who's flat as a washboard." she said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Besides, it'll take a long time for me to die from this than I would from a zombie bite."

"Yes well, you might have some sort of disregard for your own life, but I do not. My friends here are being exposed to secondhand smoke, which could be detrimental to their health. Furthermore, I myself have been to war, countless times. I made it out fine, and you don't see me smoking up a storm here." Alice said firmly. Rebecca said nothing as she pulled the cigarette from her mouth, putting it out on the glass showcase beside her.

"If it bothered you so much, you could have asked me to put it out."

"Can we not argue here? It's actually great that Becky is here. She's been in this city far longer than us, so she can help us plan." Diego said, gesturing to the map. "We're trying to reach this military base here. We want to see if we can contact the outside world."

"Contact the outside huh? That'll be mighty hard… the SCP Foundation has been trying to do that for weeks. Last I heard they made contact with a small vessel off the China Sea, didn't hear from them since. This island seems to screw with signals and the like, won't appear on any satellites and compasses don't work within a hundred miles of the shore."

"That's probably why Miya had a hard time getting here." Daisuke said softly, remembering the Missing Persons Investigator. He sighed, rubbing his temple. "Whatever the case may be, we gotta at least try. Last night we hit a rough patch… we put our eggs in one basket and it broke on us. This time, we gotta get it right."

"I see, I see." Rebecca said, as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the showcase. She wiggled her hips seductively, pretending not to notice. "Well… I'm not good at tracking and such, but I reckon I've ran all over this damned city. I can help y'all get from point A to B."

Alice narrowed her eyes, holding back her desire to slap the woman. She didn't know why it was but she just rubbed her the wrong way. There was something inside her that was begging to come out and she didn't know why. She grabbed a hold of her handgun, shoving it into the waistband of her shorts, turning on her heel and walking off.

"Hey Alice, where are you going? We need your help here." Diego said.

"I need some air, I'll be back in fifteen."

"What's up girl? You gotta take a deuce or something? I know the feeling, after running around without stopping, it really becomes grating." Rebecca said jokingly. Alice glared at her over her shoulder, her face contorted into an expression of pure hatred.

"Shut up."

With that, she walked out of the store. Daisuke sighed, grabbing his own pistol from the showcase, shoving it in his belt. "I'll go talk to her, you two plan things out okay? I trust you Diego. And if the Prince is hearing me, tell him not to fuck this up."

"Entendido mi amigo." he said, giving him a wave. He turned back to the map, grabbing a pen in order to mark their route.

Daisuke didn't have to search for long in order to find the veterinarian. There was a small playground nearby which had a few slides, a jungle gym and a swing set. She was sitting at one of the swings, hands wrapped around the chains focused on the floor. Her hair fell around her face, blocking most of it. It was the first time he had seen Alice genuinely saddened, aside from times where she remembered her deceased boyfriend or loved ones. He bit the bullet, deciding to speak with her. He sat down at the empty swing, moving back slightly in order to swing.

"Penny for your thoughts? Or should I say shilling?"

"England stopped using the shilling in 1976, so the proper term now is pence." she deadpanned, looking away from the man. "I'd rather stay here by myself, thank you."

"Allie come on, you have to speak to me. Something is clearly bothering you, you can trust me." he said softly, placing a hand over her own. She was quick to brush it off, standing up from the swing.

"I told you, I want to stay by myself."

"Well, I'm not gonna leave you alone… don't make me angry Alice Bailey. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry!"

"Oh sod off yeah? Can't you just take the hint and leave me alone?" the woman snapped angrily. She continued looking away from him, arms crossed. "God, what is it with people in this day and age? Thinking they can do whatever they want without giving a shit about everyone else?"

"Wait wait wait… is this about the cigarette?"

"The cigarette, the attitude, the fact that she carries herself like a fucking hooker. She has absolutely no respect! She claims to be the Spectacular Soldier but she doesn't act like it. There's a certain discipline that you have to conduct yourself with. I may not embody the perfect soldier archetype but at least I don't wiggle my hips like I'm a strumpet!" she exclaimed, huffing. Her body shook with each breath she took, every shudder made her feel a lot better. She straightened herself up, shaking her head.

"If I may interject-" the man said, before she could even speak. "-People are.. .finicky. Sometimes they act a certain way to mask something. Maybe she acts that way because she's seen so much fucked up shit that it masks the pain."

"Kind of like Miyaki when she talks about the circus?" the girl asked, earning a nod from the man. The expression on her face didn't change. "Why would she think walking around like that is acceptable?"

Daisuke shrugged, not exactly knowing how to reply. He jumped off the swing, taking a few steps towards the petite blonde. For several moments, they stood in silence, looking around at the city. They had taken notice of something new. It was still early in the morning, the sun had been peeking through the fog, giving the area an almost angelic view. Only an hour had passed since they had all woken up, and yet the sun was barely visible in the sky. Some of the tall buildings had been masked by the fog as well. The only building still visible was Mercy Hospital, the bright green cross was gleaming, as the searchlights cut through the thick fog.

"Is it just me or… did the fog get thicker?" the storyteller asked, earning a soft nod from the veterinarian.

"It's probably due to all of the moisture. This happens a lot in highly elevated areas, the French Alps are like this sometimes." she said. The sound of glass shattering cause the two to jump, shifting their gaze toward a nearby alley.

Knowing there were infected on the prowl, the two started moving toward the source of the sound. They reached for their guns, ensuring there was a round in the chamber before traversing through the alley. The fog was a bit lighter in this area, it was one of the more residential areas. There were a few houses in the Haverhill Plaza, being within the perimeter that had been set up. They had decided not to venture in this direction, but they needed to make sure they were safe.

The buzzing neon sign of a nearby bar was the only sound they could hear. Alice was quick to find the source of the shattering, a broken Yoohoo bottle. She knelt down beside it, examining it for a moment. "It seems like it just fell from the top of this trash can."

"I'm pretty sure something knocked it over." the man said, looking over the plastic barrels. She looked at him, quirking a brow.

"Daisuke are you sure you are okay? It seems to me like you are a bit jumpy."

"After fighting who knows how many infected, I think a bit of paranoia is healthy. We should get back, before the others notice that we're gone." he said, holding his hand out. Alice gladly took it, pulling herself to her feet. The two jumped a bit when they heard something land on top of a trash can.

It was a cat.

A medium sized black and white striped tabby. The two let out a chuckle, shaking their heads at the absurdity in the situation. It was just a damn cat, of course it was. Out of everything they had faced out on the island, minotaurs, SCPs, each other, the two had been jumping at a damn house cat. If it hadn't been because of the situation they were in, Daisuke would have been laughing. Alice clicked her tongue, holding her hand out.

"Here kitty kitty, I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to make sure you didn't hurt yourself with that bottle." she said softly. Daisuke could sense her motherly aura beginning to come out. Alice was a veterinarian, he remembered hearing things about her in Hope's Peak Academy, how she could cure animals with ease. All she needed was five minutes and she could earn the trust of any animal. If his sister Erika was there, she'd be quick to call her the 'Human Fluttershy' due to how good she was with the creatures.

"We should be careful Allie, that thing might have rabies."

"Oh hush up you. This little cutie wouldn't be a host to something so terrible, no you aren't. Aren't you sweetie?"

She placed hand atop it's head and started petting it, a smile on her face. She felt at peace, the young man could see that the previous anger she had felt had melted away. As long as Alice was happy, that's all that mattered to him. She was a precious friend after all. The cat had started purring at her tough, rubbing its cheek against her palm. That is until its fur started to bristle. It let out a hiss, causing Alice to back away.

The creature let out a wet hack, a soft clump onto the lid of the trash can. Thinking nothing of it, they chalked it up to a hairball. That is until it started to move. It sprouted legs, eight hairy legs that wiggled around as it tried to right itself. The cat continued hacking more and more balls, all of them with different appendages, some had legs while others had full blown eyeballs.

"What… what the fuck? Alice mumbled in disbelief. The feline let out a hiss of pain and anger as even more furballs were forced out of its mouth. Long spiny legs erupted from its ears and eye sockets, as the creature gave pained meows, as if begging to be put out of its misery. The legs snagged a hold of the wall, and started slowly crawling up it, dragging the cat's body uselessly behind it.

A single gunshot was all it took to put the creature down. Its body fell down to the ground lifelessly, blood splattering from the bullet hole. Despite it being dead, the pelt continued moving. Several spiders started crawling out of its carcass, from its other orifices. Daisuke grabbed a hold of the girl's hand, pulling her along.

"C'mon!"

The two of them ran not bothering to look back. Whatever the hell that had been, it wasn't a cat. At least not a normal one. It didn't take long for them to arrive back at the park, where things had been quiet. No one had heard the gunshot as nothing had changed. In fact, the fog had lessened slightly as a few blades of sun were peeking through it. The two of them panted a bit, wiping the sweat from their foreheads.

"Can we… keep this between us?" Alice asked, earning a nod from Daisuke.

"Yeah, we can keep this between us."

"Excellent… right. I think I'll go back to my room, it seems I've gone and soiled myself. The last thing I need is piss soaked bloomers." She said, throwing her hair over her shoulder as she walked away. She glanced over her shoulder, giving the man a wink. "I'll see you later, my sweet storyteller."

Daisuke's eyes widened a bit in shock. He hadn't expected the veterinarian to say that to him. He took a step forward, trying to get her to stop but she had gotten to far away. He ran his hand through his hair, grabbing a bunch and tugging it hard to ensure he was actually awake. He glanced back towards the alley, shuddering at the memory of the cat.

"Yeah… I probably heard her wrong…. Fucking cats. I'm more of a dog person anyway," he mumbled softly as he headed back towards the shooting range. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but feel nervous. How did Alice even know that phrase? The only one who had ever called him that was long gone. He shrugged it off, thinking it to be nothing more than a misunderstanding.

The hair on his neck bristled a bit, causing him to turn around. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, focusing on a small figure sitting by the swing set. He tilted his head slightly, a look of confusion on his face.

"Is that… a dog?" he mumbled softly. Looking closely, his assumption was correct. A small dog, a corgi by the looks of it, was sitting by the swing set. He took a step toward it and it gave one loud bark before running off into the distance. He sighed, shaking his head. "If only I could run away from my problems as fast as that dog can, I'd have made it home by now."

* * *

**Location: Karaoke Kaikan (Karaoke Bar)**

**Time: 9:00 AM**

**Date: August 14th, 2020**

Karaoke Kaikan was far from your typical karaoke bar. It was a large building with a single stage at the back of the room. The stage area itself was loaded with various musical gadgets, two electric guitars, a base, keyboard and drumset to name a few. There were large speakers at every corner of the establishment as well as on the stage itself. There was a monitor on the back wall as well as a smaller one on the front, both to display the lyrics of the song. The area to the very right of the room served as the bar itself, a bright neon sign in the shape of a record could be seen hanging on the wall, surrounded by shelves filled with expensive looking alcohol. The bar itself was made of granite, and had plush bar stools for people to sit at. There were a few billiards tables spread out, as well as an arcade area on the left side of the building. The wooden flooring contrasted with the light perfectly, giving the entire bar a soft glow. It was the perfect place to sing a few songs and have some drinks with a friend or two.

"Praise be Atua! What a beautiful karaoke bar, my sister told me about these through our various emails. She said these places were the highlight of Japan!" Bethany said excitedly, a grin on her face. Her eyes were filled with stars as she looked around the building. "Angie absolutely adored these places, I was always jealous when she went to them."

"You seem to be doing well." Mariana said, as she moved around on the stage.

She wasn't that interested in the karaoke bar, but she figured exploring the plaza would be better than sleeping all day. Everything that had happened in a short span of time had begun crushing her. The whole Titanic motive, falling in love with Ashton and then losing him, only to see his body get shredded. Miya's death, the infected… it was all beginning to choke her. She wanted to scream, scream until her vocal chords were raw. She could feel her blood starting to boil, the dragon in her wanted to break out. She wanted to do nothing but burn the entire island to the ground. She felt someone grab a hold of her wrist, making her jolt a bit. Bethany had walked onto the stage, a look of concern on her face.

"You don't have to bottle your feelings up you know. I understand what it is like to lose someone close to me. Losing my sister was hard… I felt so lost and alone, to this day I have never gotten over it. But the time we spent on the Titanic, the chats we had, the hugs we shared… that was enough for me to accept it." she spoke, giving the manakete a smile. "Cherish the time that you spent together, and never forget it. That's what we do on Kuikawa Island, we celebrate their lives, and dedicate a shrine to them so that they are always with us."

"I don't have anything of his though," the crimson haired woman said, looking away from the islander. "I know it sounds stupid, falling in love in the span of a few days. But I feel like I got to know him at a personal level. The two of us were gangsters down to the bitter end, haha."

"You're wrong! You have his memory, his life! It is up to you to keep that memory alive, even if you don't have anything of his on your person. You at least have his love child!" Bethany said with a grin. Mariana sputtered, cheeks flaring as she pulled her hand free from the Pele's grasp.

"What… what the hell are you talking about?"

"You two had sex right?" the woman asked curiously. By her attitude and speech, she had no qualms with openly discussing this. She didn't even care that Eris was giving her an awkward look or that Riku was nervously looking around trying to keep himself from listening in. "It isn't hard to discern the smell of passion. The two of you had it on you before the class trial. That means you are carrying his love child."

"Bethany… that is not how sex works. We were in a virtual world, whatever happens in there does not translate to real life. I've had sex in the real world yes, but me and Ashton never got intimate on the island." Mariana said firmly. Bethany frowned, not exactly knowing what to say afterward. She resorted to the only thing she knew how to do, give her a hug. "Uh… what are you doing?"

"Hugging you of course! My sister would always hug me whenever I felt down. Atua also wants us to share our emotions with each other. To open up when we have problems and speak up when we are feeling down! So if you ever need to speak, feel free to come to me with any of your woes!" she said cheerfully. She smiled happily, burying her face in Mariana's bust. The woman didn't exactly know what to say or do, so she just let it happen.

"Don't you think you are being a bit too forward there Beth? Mariana clearly doesn't want to be hugged."

"The best form of kinship is by hugging! Atua placed us all on this beautiful world, he meant for us to be friends with each other. But that's something people don't seem to understand. They become antagonistic, animalistic… they feel like war is the answer to everything. If we all opened our hearts to Atua, his light would have guided this world to a higher plane of understatement. We would be able to experience the true pleasures of our world!"

"Oh please, don't start with this Atua bullshit." Riku suddenly snapped, causing the three women to look in his direction. He had walked behind the bar, scanning the bottles curiously. His tail was was swaying back and forth as he scanned the selection before him. "There is nothing, nothing that will make any one of us feel better."

"I'm sorry that you feel that way Riku. But maybe you should take some time to consider things. Open your heart to Atua, you'll become a lot happier, I assure you."

"So I can become obsessed with a false god like yourself? That's all you ever talk about, your stupid god. There is no god, there's only death. That's all humanity is good for." he replied, absentmindedly as he grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels from the shelf.

"Atua is not a false god! Just because you don't see his light like I do doesn't mean you can snub his existence. You don't see me snubbing your beliefs!" the pele cried angrily. She could feel herself starting to get hot. The soft cracking of the cap was heard for a brief second, as the neko poured some into a glass.

"That is because I don't have them. I lost my belief in God when I was a kid, when I was forced into the care of that vile disgusting bitch. All religion ever does is make people run away from their problems. They turn a blind eye to the cruelty of the world, because "God" will help them. He will save them all, but he isn't shit! Neither is Buddha and neither is Atua. They were all created by man to give us all something to cling to when despair overcame us."

"Buddha isn't a god you jackass, he was just a guy who was enlightened." Eris said, shaking her head.

"I don't really give a shit," Riku said, downing the drink in one gulp. He shuddered a bit due to its strength, real alcohol felt a lot different than the virtual kind. "The fact of the matter is, religion is bullshit. So if you could shut your damn mouth, I would appreciate it."

"She doesn't have to you know." Mariana hissed, voice laced with anger. She gestured to the door with her thumb. "There's the door, if you don't like her talking about it then get the fuck out."

"Can we not do this?" the gorgon asked firmly, standing between the bar and the stage. She gave the two a firm look, her snakes being quite calm. "We're all adults here right? Let's handle this civilly."

"Last time I checked, that Atua loving bimbo is 15. In the great country of Nippon, the drinking age is 20, meaning she shouldn't even be allowed in here." the neko spat, downing another glass.

"I've been an adult since I was 12 years old. On Kuikawa Island, it is customary for all children to go through a ritual. I myself took it upon being named the new Oracle of Atua. So I have as much of a right to be here as you do," the young woman said.

"Why are you being such a dickhead?" the manakete snapped angrily, glaring at the man. "Your girlfriend died, big whoop. She got what she deserved for killing 5 people! I lost Ashton, I was kneeling down in that boat when he was pulled away from me. He drowned in that ship, probably thinking about his friends and loved ones as it went down. Yet here I am, swallowing my sadness and hatred and moving along. All you've done is mope around and be a nuisance!"

"I could say the same thing about you. I mean you have the power of a dragon don't you? If that's the case then why didn't you stop that minotaur that chased us? If you had killed it, then Miya would still be alive. Why didn't you fly around and throw fireballs at the horde of zombies from above? That could have helped all of us." the man said smugly, taking a swig from the bottle. The manakete clicked her tongue, cocking her head to the side, a sneer on her face.

"It's hilarious that you point that out about me. Last time I checked, you weren't the one slicing apart zombies on the Mercy Hospital rooftop. In fact, I saved Bethany's life when that thing charged her. All while you hid like the pussy you are. In fact, if I check your rifle, I'll find every single magazine that you didn't use."

Riku let out a growl, throwing the bottle in his hand at the manakete. She caught it with ease, not a single drop spilling from within. She took a gulp from it, swallowing it hard. A giggle escaped her lips as she walked forward, pulling her arm back. Eris jumped in front of her, placing a hand on the center of her chest, glaring at her through her glasses. "Stop!"

"Why should I? Huh? Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn't smash this bottle over his fucking head."

"Because he's your friend. Even if he's acting like a twat right now, you guys were able to make it here in the same group right? That means you can work together. We need to work together, because the second we start losing hope, that is the second we lose!"

"Pfft, she's a pussy. I doubt she'd actually throw that bottle at me." Riku said jokingly. A loud smash filled the room a second later, the man's eyes widening in surprise. The bottle had whizzed by his head so fast he hadn't even seen it. He let out a growl, jumping over the bar. He stalked right up to the manakete, who had a proud smirk on her face. "Who the fuck do you think you are huh? You could have hurt me!"

"That was my aim really. I can't believe I wasted a good bottle of Jack trying to hit ya. Maybe I should have thrown the wine at you. No one gives a shit about wine anyway," she said with a smirk.

"You know what… I don't even know why I bother. I mean… we all know the truth anyway."

"The truth?" the crimson haired woman asked, confusion on her face. The neko leaned forward, a catty grin on his face. His ears were twitching mischievously.

"The fact that you are drug lord of course! I mean it's so obvious. You come from Columbia, so it makes sense that you are involved in that mafia to some degree. I've seen those drama series too… where they grab supple girls like you and turn them into cartels. They pay for everything too." he said smugly, giving her a lecherous look. "There is no way your tits are that naturally big. I bet you someone paid for your implants, that way you can carry cocaine through TSA when you got to the United States of America."

Mariana felt her rage beginning to build. The smug look on Riku's was making her see red. Before she could react, she heard the audible snap of someone being struck in the face. In a flash, Riku was rubbing the underside of his chin, tears in his eyes. The temperature in the room had risen steadily. One thing was certain. Bethany Yonaga was pissed, and she was the last person you wanted to get angry.

"ʻO ʻoe ka ʻūhā ʻūlū ʻana!" she exclaimed, grabbing a hold of Riku's shirt. Her hand started to smoke as it started to burn through it. Eris put a hand on her shoulder, trying to pull her away only to scream as her hand was burned. Realizing this, the Ultimate Pele let go of the neko, an apologetic look on her face. "Eris, I'm sorry!"

"Nah… it's fine." she said, nursing her hand. She prodded it with a finger, hissing in pain. Mariana took a hold of it, cringing slightly.

"Third degree burns… you essentially just touched a thousand degree knife."

"I didn't mean to Eris, I'm so sorry!" Bethany said, bowing apologetically.

"It isn't your fault okay? I forgot that when you get heated, you literally get heated. I'll just use some burn cream or something. Besides, I'm part snake now, so it won't be long before I start shedding. It won't be an issue then!" the gorgon said cheerfully. She shifted her gaze to Riku, her snakes becoming angry as they lashed at him, snapping and hissing loudly. "You on the other hand, are not forgiven. I would advise you to apologize to Mariana and Bethany. Because if you don't, I might just let my snakes here bite you."

"Tch… as if I'm scared of you."

"No, but you are of me. We have a saying for people like you back on Kuikawa Island… it's just a shame that I can't use it. Atua would be disappointed if I were to quote something so unholy in his presence. I'm going to ask you to leave, if you do not then I will brand a penis on your ass cheek with my finger. You've got ten seconds."

The man didn't need to be told twice. He bolted out of the Karaoke Bar, the door slamming closed a second later. It was silence for only a moment before Bethany started laughing. She threw her head back, light airy giggles filling the room. Eris let out a snort, joining her friend in her mirth. Mariana sighed, walking toward the bar. She jumped over it, snagging a bottle of Goldschlager from the top shelf.

"Did you see how fast he ran outta here? I honestly can't understand why he keeps poking the bear!"

"He's doing it intentionally you guys. Just ignore him." Mariana said, downing the drink she had poured out for herself. "I can tell he's a troubled kid, that's why I don't take what he says to heart… besides he isn't wrong. There's so many cartels out there that I don't blame him for roping us all together. I'll just prove his sorry ass wrong."

"Still, you shouldn't have to deal with that kind of shit." Eris snapped, clearly annoyed. She kept poking at her hand. "He's being an entitled little shit just because he can be. You lost Ash, Bethy lost Angie. Hell you can go as far as saying that the reason she died is because of his dumb ass. So just forget him."

"I normally never turn away someone who needs help. My family and my people taught me better than that. But there are people who cannot be saved by Atua. You need to be willing to change in order for his heavenly light to change you." Bethany said, a frown on her face. She sighed, turning back to Mariana. "What is this? A drink that has little golden specks inside of it?"

"Uh yeah… it's goldschlager. It's a German drink with little gold flakes in it. I heard my friend once say 'I drank so much goldschlager last night that I shat a necklace' so it must be good. It really tears into your throat though, so you gotta be careful." the woman said. Bethany scooped the bottle up with grace and poise, pressing the lip to her mouth. She took a gulp from it, swallowing it without much issue. "Hmm… doesn't taste so bad, but this is water compared to what I drink back home."

"Excuse me?" Eris asked, eyes widening. Bethany rolled her eyes, walking around the counter. She let her eyes peruse the selections, gasping with delight as she found what she was looking for. A bottle of Everclear vodka.

"Here it is, 40 ounces of 151 proof straight vodka! Mother used to call this her best friend before she and daddy met. So as a toast to my beautiful mother and for my fallen sister, I shall drink this entire bottle!" she cried, cracking it open. She pulled the plastic tab off, holding it up to her lips. She tipped the bottle back, swallowing the clear white liquid.

"Bethany… holy shit!"

"Damn… I thought she was just a crazy cult lady spouting nonsense, I didn't think Bethany had a skill like this in her itinerary." Eris said softly as the girl finished the bottle. She let out a burp, stumbling a bit. Her cheeks were glowing red and this time it wasn't due to her fire powers.

"Haaah… all's right with the world! Come on… let's go sing a song!" she said, moving towards the stage. "I wanna sing the song my parents sung on my 9th birthday! But I gotta get a bit comfortable first." she cried, pulling her bikini top clean off her body. She tossed it to the floor, not caring that her breasts were exposed. Mariana facepalmed, peering at Eris through the slits of her fingers.

"We are not letting her drink anymore, understood?"

"Yes."

* * *

**Location: Rocket Punch Market**

**Time: 10:25 AM**

**Date: August 14th, 2020**

Rocket Punch Market was your average run of the mill supermarket. There was nothing of interest, save for the aisles filled with food. There were some shelves that were emptied out, most likely by the locals who were prepared for the long hull. There was a surplus of dog food for whatever reason, along with canned cat food. Thankfully, there was plenty of groceries left behind for the group to use. Daisuke had sent out a small group to the store in order to survey how much food they had to work with. Most of the fruits and vegetables had spoiled due to how long it had been, so they had decided to avoid the produce section entirely.

It had been the first time in years since Sayaka had gone to the grocery store. Even something as small as this brought joy to her life. Even if it was pushing a dented buggy with a busted wheel down an aisle filling it up with meaningless snacks. She stopped in front of a shelf filled to the brim with bottled water, grabbing a few packs and placing them in. She sighed, fanning her face with her hand.

"Why is it so abnormally hot in here?" she asked softly to herself. She peered over her shoulder, almost expecting a horde of infected to start running at her. She shook off her paranoia, pushing the buggy forward. She placed a few cases of soda in the bottom, reaching into one of the boxes for a can. She popped the tab with her teeth, soaking her chin and chest in the sticky liquid, making her frown. "Of fucking course… nice one Saya, you just love being bathed in sticky fluids don't you? You just had to wear a low-cut tank top didn't you?"

"You know, the tabs are meant to be opened with your fingers, not your teeth." Reukra said, as he entered the aisle. Haruna followed after him, pushing her own cart filled with the brim with canned food.

"I understand this, but sometimes you are too lazy to snag the tab with your fingernails. Besides, I just filed them down, the last thing I want to do is break one."

"Yes, because all of us are completely safe in this place, but god forbid you break a fingernail." the duplicator joked. Haruna quirked a brow, giving him a pout.

"I'm sorry… but we ladies like to have long fingernails. How else are we supposed to mark the man we love so that other females don't take him from us?" she jokingly asked. The duplicator sputtered, cheeks tinging red.

"Don't tease me like that!"

"You're too easy to tease hun~" the hostess said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Sayaka smiled, pushing her cart forward.

"You two are so cute together. You remind me of myself and Makoto when we used to go out, it still surprises me that he managed to get 3 girls to like him."

"He had 3 girlfriends?" Reukra asked, eyes widening. "Damn, that dude was a gangster. I consider myself lucky enough to be with someone like Haru here. But to date the Sayaka Maizono? He's a legend."

"A legend you say? Does that mean you are unsatisfied with me? T-that I'm not enough for you? Y-you want another girl don't you?" Haruna cried, placing a hand on her forehead. "Here I thought you loved me… but you want someone else in our relationship! Someone like…" the girl paused, spotting Miyaki nearby. She ran forward, heels clacking loudly on the tile as she grabbed a hold of the circus performer who let out a yelp. "You want someone like Kiki here in our relationship don't you?"

"Fuckin what?" the blonde cried, confusion written on her face. "What the hell are you guys even talking about?"

"Reukra wants to start a harem and he's taking volunteers." Sayaka said firmly.

"I am not! Don't listen to them Kiki, this isn't true! It's all lies and slander!"

"It's alright Reukra, they're just messing with you. Besides, even if you were starting a harem, you'd have to be the Ultimate Harem King to get me to join." the girl replied, grabbing one of the Pringles cans from beside her, tossing it in her basket.

"Hey Kiki, it's a good thing you are here with us. I uh… well i heard you screaming last night. I couldn't make out any words, but I did hear you slam a door rather loudly." Sayaka said, placing a finger on her cheek. "I just wanted to check on you. I came out right after but you stormed off towards the clothing shop."

"Huh? Oh that? That was nothing, nothing at all!" Miyaki said, turning away from her. Her ponytail whipped over her shoulder from how fast she had spun around.

"That was clearly not nothing. You seemed to be fuming, your face was bright red too. I was looking out the window after Reu had fallen asleep."

"Like I said… there was nothing going on that was of particular interest." the circus performer said, looking around. "Say, I saw some charcoal near the back of the store, and some grills as well. What do you say to a little cookout? There are some frozen patties in the frozen section that we can use."

"Miyaki is avoiding the question, that means something interesting must have happened." Sayaka said in a deadpan tone.

"That's obvious yes. It must have been something juicy if it's making her want to avoid us." Haruna added, placing a hand on her hip.

"We shouldn't talk to her about it guys. She looks really agitated, and the last thing we want is to make her uncomfortable." Reukra said, coming in the defence of the blonde. She let out a giggle, glancing at her friends, eye twitching.

"Uncomfortable? Why would I be uncomfortable? With what? I'm comfortable! I'm comfortable right now, I got my clean skirt! I got a new leotard which looks super cute with my skin tone, everything is peachy!"

"You don't sound peachy, and neither did that slam last night. Seriously… whatever it is that happened, it can't be worse than seeing a dead body. We've seen plenty of those already." the idol said absentmindedly, as she walked into the next aisle. She glanced down at her chest with a frown. "I should head back to my apartment and take a shower, before this sugar starts bothering me."

"It isn't about what I saw, it's more about who I saw."

"You saw someone?" Haruna asked, sighing. "Look, you clearly seem troubled by this all. If you want to tell us, that's fine. We're your friends Kiki, after all the shit that we've been through, you can tell us anything. Of course if you don't want to then that's fine-"

"I caught Dais and Charlotte messing around!" she exclaimed, having cut Haruna off. Sayaka let go of her soda can, causing it to splash in all directions. Haruna's jaw dropped while Reukra remained silent, not knowing what to say.

"What uh… what do you mean by messing around?" the idol asked.

"Messing around! Okay, so it all started with Shiro and Mackenzie inviting me to the boutique and taking my measurements. Shiro was insistent that we all get proper outfits if we're going to have a party at the karaoke place."

"We're having a party?"

"That is not the point Reukra, let me finish!" the blonde cried out. The young man zipped his lip, not wanting to interrupt her anymore. "As I was saying, Shiro was adamant that we get new clothes. So once she was done with mine and Mackenzie's measurements, she asked me to head to Daisuke and Charlotte and have them come next. I thought the two of them were reading a book or some shit but they weren't! I knocked on the door and noticed it was open so I let myself in and I caught them."

The three shared a look, not wanting to say anything. Miyaki let out an exasperated sigh as she grabbed a handful of her hair, her left eye twitching. "I thought, hey maybe he's reading her a story or something but no! No! He was kneeling in front of her eating her out! Not just that, I picked the perfect time to walk in because she orgasmed the moment I screamed! It was so fucking awkward. I just stood there in shock, not knowing what to say!"

"Well… did you talk to them about it?"

"WHAT? Why the fuck would I talk about it? I saw someone who I've known for years face fucking my close friend's vagina!" she exclaimed loudly. They could almost see the steam coming out of her ears. "I mean, how would I even broach the topic? Hey! I'm sorry about walking in on you two last night! How'd that pussy taste?"

"Well… I mean if you wanted to taste it, I'm sure Daisuke could have given you a turn." Sayaka said with a shrug, shoving some bags of chips in her cart. "Before they were engaged, Daisuke and Hiyoko were in an open relationship. It actually became a running joke among our classes. Though Daisuke hates talking about it, he did manage to bed quite a few pretty girls while in Hope's Peak. He earned the moniker of 'Chadsuke' from Nekomaru for bedding several girls without trying."

"Were you one of them?" Haruna asked, holding back a giggle. The idol paused for a moment, looking at a bag of Lays Barbecue chips as well as one of Sour Cream. She shrugged, tossing both of them into the cart. She looked up at Haruna, a deadpanned look on her face.

"Yes."

"Wait wait wait." Reukra said, causing the ladies to look at him. "Are you telling me, that Daisuke managed to bed the Ultimate Pop Sensation?"

"Hey, when it's 3 am and you are playing spin the bottle with Hiyoko Saionji, anything can fucking happen. Hell, he only did it because he encouraged her. It was summer break of our freshman year, we weren't on tour and I wasn't with Makoto or Mukuro at the time. So I was like screw it, joining a strip poker game with Hiyoko and Daisuke isn't going to turn out so bad. Woke up the next day in his arms."

"I see…" Miyaki said, not having expected that reply. She cleared her throat, deciding to ask her burning question. "Was he good?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Was he good?" the circus performer reiterated. "This is only for science."

"My fucking ass it's for science! Don't you have a boyfriend?" Reukra exclaimed. Miyaki shook her head furiously.

"Peter is not my boyfriend! Assuming things will lead you to hell!" she cried furiously, waving her hands back and forth. "Besides it doesn't matter anymore dammit!"

"If you are curious, he's amazing. It was only one time but goddamn… that shit was life changing, of course it got me ready for when me and Makoto got together. It's thanks to Daisuke that I was able to speak to him in the first place."

"Huh… so fucking some random guy will make you confident enough for you to ask out the guy that you do like. I have to keep this jotted down for future reference." the duplicator said softly. Haruna sighed.

"Whatever the case may be, you need to speak with the two of them as soon as you can. The last thing you want is to be embarrassed by what you saw in a life or death situation." Sayaka said, walking out of the chip aisle. She turned around to face the blonde girl, smirking. "Or, you could politely as Daisuke to bone you, whichever works."

"Fuck you." the woman snapped, brushing past her.

"Did you rub one out afterwards?" the idol cried. Miyaki raised her hand, flipping her the bird as she walked out of the grocery store. "Oh come on, it was just a joke!"

"Sayaka, did you seriously mess around with Daisuke?" Reukra asked, a curious look on his face. Haruna rolled her eyes.

"Why does it matter?"

"Because he's my hero."

"I wasn't lying Reukra, one thing that I hate is liars. I pride myself in that aspect, if you are truthful to me then I will reply in kind. Now… about that barbecue?" she asked, gesturing toward the frozen section. Haruna nodded, moving her cart toward it.

"Do you think she actually rubbed one out?" the hostess asked, earning a giggle from the pop star.

"Definitely. I would if I caught them in a precarious situation like that." she replied with a wink.

Reukra sighed softly to himself as the two girls continued talking, thankfully about a different topic. He was glad that Sayaka had gotten his mind off of his own paranoia. Ever since coming to Haverhill Plaza, he felt an odd sense of fatigue. It wasn't that he was tired, but he did feel something was choking him. He stumbled forward, knocking a few cans onto the ground. He knelt down, grabbing them from the floor, cringing.

"Ew...cream of mushroom soup."

"It's not that bad of a soup." the voice of the Ultimate Pokemon Trainer said, causing the young man to whirl around.

"Jesus Christ, Kanna. Don't fucking do that!" he said, clutching his heart. He gave the woman a once over, seeing her odd state of dress.

She wasn't dressed in her usual outfit, instead being dressed in a tight fitting sleeveless shirt. Her long hair was free from its usual ponytail. She wasn't wearing her Pokemon Trainer cap either. She was dressed in a pair of shorts, and something he never thought he'd see her in, a pair of flip flops. She had a look of sadness on her face, her eyes having dark bags under them. She gave the young man a languid blink, grabbing the can at the top of the stack.

"I just came for some soup… I'll be out of here soon." she said softly.

"Kanna… what's wrong?"

"I lost someone dear to me yesterday. I know I didn't know her for long, but Gardevoir was my partner. I know she wasn't a real Pokemon… but I could feel her emotions. I could feel her pain… I can't stop seeing her in my mind." she said, holding back her tears. "I can't… every time I close my eyes, I see her reaching her arm out to me. She's begging me to take it, screaming for me to help her, and I'm just standing there letting her get torn apart."

"I know it's painful Kanna… but there was nothing you could have done. We were swamped, tired and running out of ammo. I wish we could have done something about it, but sadly we couldn't." he said softly. She let out a sniffle, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

"That's what hurts me the most… I shouldn't have sent her out. She hadn't recovered from our previous battles. I've been pushing them hard since we split up from you guys. I'm a horrible trainer."

"No you aren't!" the duplicator cried out. He walked around the soup display, taking a hold of her hand. "You are an inspiration to all of those kids that woke up at 7 AM to watch Pokemon every time it aired! That was me dammit, your talent embodies what me and my mom did every Saturday morning for years, like the fucking weirdos we were!"

"I see." the girl said, a small smile on her face. "What's your favorite gen of Pokemon?"

"Gen 5 of course! It was such a great generation, it had a good story, good characters and even better Pokemon! Hell, Bisharp is my personal favorite! It's also the only Pokemon game aside from Coliseum that got an official sequel. It's the only game to date that I've replayed over 30 times, me and my mom completed the Pokedex before my dad took me away from her."

"Heh… Gen 5 is my favorite too, me and my girlfriend stayed up all night running through Pokemon Diamond and Pearl the day before Black and White released just to get good mon's to trade up. Of course we found out later that we needed to beat the story to trade those mon's up… Game Freak is made of cucks." Kanemoto said with a giggle. She looked down at her hand, sighing. "I don't really like cream of mushroom soup."

"Throw it." Reukra said with a shrug.

"I can't just throw it. What if I hit someone?" she cried out. He grabbed a can of soup from the stack, pulling his arm back. He threw the can with all of his strength, watching it fly all the way across the store, slamming into a shelf. It clattered loudly to the ground, making him snort.

"That was neat." he said.

He looked back at the Pokemon trainer, gesturing to the can in her hand. She rolled her eyes, kicking her flip flops off her feet. Reukra watched as she lithely moved her body, raising her leg up high before pitching the can forward with all of her strength. It flew forward, slamming into a shelf filled with plates, shattering several of them. A few more fell onto the ground, breaking into a million pieces. The two started laughing, grabbing a few more cans.

"Teach me to pitch like you?"

"Sure, I wouldn't mind at all!" the brunette said, giving him a grin.

_**xxx(End of Act 6)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects 18**

**A/N: Oof, I apologize for not updating this story everyone. I had some personal matters I had to take care of, including a very serious family emergency. I decided that it would be for the best if I put my writing on the backburner for right now. Even then I'm struggling with anything danganronpa related as of right now, I just don't have the motivation to write anything. The past couple of weeks have been hell and I'm still going to be a bit busy for the foreseeable future. But I promise to return to this when I can, I hope to finish Chapter 3 soon before taking an extended break from the series. I'm still going to work on Oasis. I would like to apologize to everyone for that as well. I know you've all wanted new content for the story and since I had to take time off, I deadlocked Crit and Petty. I feel super awful about it, but I just needed to clear my head for a while. I'll make it up to you guys by doing the best I can in Oasis. I do hope you like this chapter everyone, it's been sitting here in my docs for a while and I was meaning to post it but I just forgot.I'll probably be updating some other stories not related to DR soon, I just need to get the creative juices flowing, maybe work on something fresh and new. Be seeing you! Hopefully very soon!  
**


	39. C3 Act 7: As the Fog Rolls In

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 3

Act 7: As the Fog Rolls In

_**xxx**_

**Location: Rarity's Fabulous Ensembles (Apparel Shop)**

**Time: 11:34 AM**

**Date: August 14th, 2020**

The apparel shop was among the biggest in Haverhill Plaza. It was far more than a typical clothing shop, it looked more like a fashion hub than anything. There were various racks of pristine-looking dresses and other feminine clothes on the right of the store, with several mannequins donning said delicate dresses. The very right of the store was more geared towards gentlemen, various ensembles had been on display, suits, ties and even underwear. The real meat and potatoes of this store was, of course, the very back, which contained everything one would need in order to make new outfits. It was here that Shiro had made her base of operations.

"This outfit is going to be so super cool! I can't believe they just left this store here for me to use, it's like my personal candy store!" Shiro cried excitedly, as she pinned some fabric onto a mannequin. She reached for the pincushion on the countertop, giggling as she added more pins to the fabric. "Oh I am gonna have so much fun! I finally get to make that jacket for Dais!"

"Do you think we're wasting time here?" Mackenzie asked, a worried look on her face. She had her eyes trained on the entrance, seeing the fog that was steadily growing thicker.

"Kenzie-poo you gotta relax a bit. I know we spent time going up to the roof of that hospital and almost dying. But if we don't take time to enjoy the little things, then we'll turn into a stress ball. There is another alternative though if you are up for it." the executioner said, giving her a wink. Mackenzie flushed, looking away from her.

"Finally! I found something that fits me!" Nyx exclaimed, racing out from the dressing room. She slid to a stop before the group, a grin on her face. "So, what do you think?"

The Ultimate Halfling had changed out of her usual outfit, having donned a beautiful sundress. It was a bright orange color, with a light tan, low-cut collar. It had inch long shoulder straps that tied around her neck. It left most of her back exposed, showing off quite a generous amount of her soft bluish green flesh. Her modest bust was hugged nicely by the dress which in fact complimented it well. The dress left quite a good portion of her legs exposed in the front, the back falling down just past her knees. She was wearing a pair of brown sandals on her feet, with thin straps that wrapped securely around her legs. Shiro gave her a whistle, a grin on her face.

"Damn girl, anyone ever tell you that you've got some fine legs?"

"No… this is the first time actually. My legs weren't this smooth beforehand, while I was at the hospital, they were scrawny and veiny." Nyx said, frowning. She shook her head, giving the two girls a grin. "But I am happy though, I'm glad that you like this new outfit! I think I'll stay like this for now!"

"Honestly, while most of these outfits are divine, I can never picture myself wearing anything other than what I am currently dressed in." Dalila said, walking out of the dressing room. She tugged on her dress, smoothing it out a bit. She was wearing an almost exact replica of her dress, the only difference being she was wearing a pair of matching flats on her feet.

"You are no fun Lila. Come on, live a little! I can find you a nice fight fitting cocktail dress. Maybe you can use it to wow Diego, and if not, I'm sure the Prince wouldn't mind giving you the bone." Shiro said with a wink.

"Bone? What bone?" Seisha asked curiously, as he walked out from behind one of the many clothing racks. Due to his size, he hadn't been able to find anything for himself, but he had been looking around for something. "Is the Prince of Dim Carcosa part dog?"

"Oh most definitely! He's a really big dog too, he likes playing around with Lila and giving her some doggy action." the executioner said smugly. She held her hand to her lips, holding back a snort. "Knick-knack, patty-whack, give the dog a bone."

"Shiro please stop talking." Dalila hissed, glaring at her. She had a look of embarrassment on her face. In that moment, all of the plants in the room seemed to wilt as if feeling her emotions, something that Mackenzie and Nyx were quick to notice.

"Maybe we should focus on something else," Nyx said, hoping to dissuade the situation. She cleared her throat, looking at the various manikins that Shiro had pulled out. "Like the fact that Shiro hasn't slept at all since last night."

"Pfft, sleep? Who has time for sleep when there are outfits to be made!" she exclaimed, cracking open a can of Blue Ram Zero. She downed half of it in a single gulp, burping loudly as she set the can down. "I gotta get my shit together and finish these up, it's been far too long since I've made anything."

"You're twitching," the Ultimate Painter said, having set down her sketch pad. She grabbed ahold of Shiro's hands, trying to stop her from shaking. "How many of those cans have you had?"

"None, that's my first one today." she said, giggling. "It's alright Kenzie, I'll be fine."

"No, you won't," Dalila said firmly, walking towards the white-haired girl. She placed a hand over her chest, eyes widening in shock. "Shiro, your heart is beating a mile a minute. This is unhealthy for you!"

"No it isn't! I've stayed up like this for days finishing an outfit okay? Everything is fine fine fine. All I have to do is finish taking some measurements for the others. Then I can begin sowing some of these pieces of fabric together. I can easily finish it today if the weather looks good, but who am I kidding? When the hell is the weather going to look good in this shithole? Though if I move this over here, and that over there, and then get rid of this right over here, I can potentially finish this one sooner." she said, jittering as she walked.

"You need to sleep, Shiro… I know you wanna make these dresses and outfits, but not at the cost of your health. Please, will you at least take a nap?"

"I said no Mackenzie!" she shouted angrily, glaring at the blonde. She let out a yelp, jumping back in surprise. She hadn't been expecting Shiro to outright scream at her. She balled her fists, eye twitching. "I am not going to stop! Because I don't know when my time will be up on this island. I narrowly escaped the SCP Foundation site and the Titanic, and I almost got bit on the way here. I am not going to sit down and rest when I can make awesome outfits for everyone and throw a party!"

"Miss Shiro. Maybe you should listen to your friends," Seisha said softly, causing the girl to face him. He had a frown on his face as he looked down at Mr. Bitey and Salimba. "I don't want to lose anymore friends. I've lost so many already… the last thing I want is for you to die too. Just take a break… it'll only be for a little while."

"I would but I can't, so I shan't while I stand." the girl chanted, as she turned around, grabbing a hold of some fabric she had already cut out, giggling. "Dais is going to love this so much! I'm putting my heart and love in this one. I've also got one for Miyakiki and Rika Nyan Nyan, whoops, I mean Riku! He's going to look so cute in it~"

Nyx sighed, a frown on her face. She took a few short steps forward, placing a hand on Shiro's shoulder. She turned around, a look of confusion on her face, only for her eyes to start glowing brightly. She gave out a small squeak before passing out, thankfully being held up by the Halfling. She gently laid her on the ground, resting her head in her lap.

"What did you do to her?" Dalila asked, looking very concerned. Nyx remained silent for a moment, as she continued pressing her hand against Shiro's chest, her finger tips glowing white.

"I used my telekinesis to trick her mind into falling asleep. She's in a deep sleep right now, my healing light is also eliminating all of the caffeine in her system. She should be nice in chipper in a few hours."

"Oh good… I don't know what I would have done if you had actually… you know." Mackenzie said, causing the halfling to quirk a brow.

"Why would you think that? Mackenzie I am your friend, I would never do that to Shiro."

"I know… I'm sorry okay? I've just been on edge after the Titanic and the minotaur." she said softly. She reached over to her sketch pad, looking at it with a look of pure agony on her face. She shakily turned it to the others, a frown on her face.

"What… what is that?" Dalila asked softly. Nyx's jaw dropped in shock, unable to tear her eyes away from the paper before her. Seisha took one quick glance at it, a small whimper on his face.

The image she had drawn was a very graphic and accurate representation of Miya Ainara's death. The S-Class Missing Person's Investigator had been redrawn in striking detail. Down to the way her head had fallen to the ground after being severed. Her decapitated body had been standing, a fountain of blood shooting into the air, covering the minotaur's angry-looking face. Its leg was raised over her head. An expression of fear and confusion was written on her face. If one looked at it long enough, they could infer what her possible last thoughts could have been.

It was horrible.

It was vile.

And it was beautiful all at the same time.

The others couldn't find the words to speak. Mackenzie just closed the sketch pad, letting it fall to the floor. Her shoulders began shaking as a stream of tears poured from her eyes. "It's so awful… I try to forget it but I can't. It makes me so sick, there's this feeling of disgust in the pit of my stomach. It makes me want to puke my brains out." she said softly, holding back her sobs. "I close my eyes… but I keep seeing it."

"It'll be alright Mackenzie… I know this is awful, and it's something that I will never forget. But you have to try to remember them when they were alive. D-don't remember them like that." Dalila said softly, hugging the painter who broke into sobs. Seisha knelt down to the ground, taking a hold of the sketchpad. She flipped through a few pages, finding a few different sketches. Right before the one with Miya's death, he found another one.

This one was different. It was a drawing of Miya sitting on a stump. She was intently looking at her DS, a tick mark on her forehead. The surrounding scenery was oddly beautiful, despite it being in the middle of the woods. There was a picnic table nearby, her backpack had been laying on it, with a few things barely being visible. Her hair was still in its pigtails, which were resting on her shoulders. The nearby trees were full of life, as a few birds and squirrels could be seen on the branches above.

She was vibrant.

She was mad.

But most of all, she was _alive!_

The samebito held the sketch pad to Dalila, who took a good look at it. A genuine smile appeared on her face. She took a hold of the pad, just as Mackenzie had calmed down. "See… this is a perfect representation of Miya. Not that brutal death… this… a drawing of her doing what she loved."

"Shiny hunting Pokemon?" Mackenzie sniffled. Dalila gave a nod of agreement.

"Exactly. Miya wasn't perfect, and at times she was downright annoying, but she was still a kind person. That is what matters in the end." she said happily.

"You know, hanging around and remembering the dead is a waste of time." a familiar voice said. Dalila grumbled under her breath as she turned to face Lars. The group hadn't even heard him enter. Andrea wasn't that far away from him, in fact, she was sitting at a nearby stool, a hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of her sword.

"Why would you say that?" Nyx asked firmly, from her seat on the floor. Shiro stirred slightly in her slumber but didn't wake. Her dainty arms wrapped around Nyx's body, as she buried her face in her chest. The halfling didn't seem to mind, her focus solely on the Demonologist. "Every life is precious, even yours as loathed as I am to admit it."

"I am very glad you think that the world would definitely mourn my loss. You not so much."

"Do you just wake up in the morning and check off "Be a dickhead" off your personal list?" Mackenzie asked, glaring at the man. "Because that's what you fucking are, a huge dickhole."

"So I've been told, Miss Painter. Despite all that, you know I am right," he said, becoming serious. He placed the coat he had been looking at on the rack, walking towards the ladies and Seisha. "Dwell too much on the ones that died, and they will start affecting you. Do not deny my words, clearly you see what Ibb's death has been doing to Riku."

"His mind was affected by the Neo World Program, her death is just making it worse on him," Dalila replied. A smirk tugged at his lips.

"Mariana lost Ashton in that same simulation, and yet she is more calm and collected than he is. Don't pretend like you haven't noticed it. Nyx, you were in our group when we were traveling through the city. You saw how he was behaving before reaching the KFC."

"Look, I am not going to deny that he isn't acting weird. Because he is. The fact of the matter is, if we don't take the time to mourn our dead, then all we're gonna remember them by is how they died. We need to celebrate and honor their lives, not focus on how they died." she said firmly. Lars let out a chuckle, crossing his arms.

"You feeble minded little girl. Do you not know the gravity of the situation in which you find yourself? All of you… take a look outside, this unnatural fog should be enough to let you all know what is going on."

"Fog is just water droplets in the air. The reason it's so thick is because were by the ocean!" Seisha said happily. Andrea cleared her throat, grabbing their attention.

"You couldn't be more wrong boy. We are nowhere near the ocean, the city is far from the coast, the road that leads to the military base also leads to some rocky cliffs on the other side. How is it that this city is shrouded in a fog so thick that we can't even see the sun?"

"Not only that, but the plaza itself seems to be hanging in some sort of limbo. We can see every facility here, and yet the tall buildings are invisible to us. There is also the fact that there are no infected attacking us, when yesterday there were thousands. Do you not find that odd?" Lars asked firmly. Nyx clicked her tongue, glaring at the wall.

"You probably did that, with that stupid book you are always carrying around. How much you wanna bet that this fog was some shit that you found inside it?"

"Would you like to take a gander at it? Take a nice long look and point to me which page and which verse summons a thick cloud of fog," he said, holding the book out to her.

"Hmm… there is something here that bugs me though." Dalila said, rubbing her chin. She gave the man a once over, her soft brown eyes scanning every inch of his body. "Why are you here, talking with us?"

"Heh… consider this a warning. Even though I don't care about you, I do think that you all deserve to remain alive. None of you are useful to me dead, so I highly value your lives." he said with a chuckle. "After all, I could use you all as cannon fodder if another creature decides to attack us."

"Go fuck yourself, you fucking disgusting piece of shit." the halfling snapped, glaring at the man, her body shaking with anger. "You think you can come here, and talk to us however you want, and give us a petty warning? You can take it and shove it up your ass."

"Quite the mouth you got there, someone should put it to good use," he replied, holding his sides while laughing. "Whatever the case may be, just know that I value your lives. That is more than enough yes? I even value your life Seisha. I value your life as I would that of a dog."

Before he knew what was going on, he felt something strike his face hard. He clutched his jaw, rubbing it in pain. He suddenly felt something wrapping around him, holding him above the ground. His mind began to race when he realized he was being strangled. His eyes scanned the room, realizing he was being held up by Dalila who had a very angry look on her face. Her eyes were glowing a vibrant green, while her hands swirled with a bright energy. He could feel the thorns beginning to dig into his flesh.

He felt weightless again, as he landed roughly on the floor. He briefly heard the sound of a blade being swung, having sliced through the air. Andras glared into Dalila's eyes, as she held her sword tightly. She had managed to raise her hand in time, thick bark growing around her arm and wrist to protect from the blow that would have sliced her arm clean off. The woman chuckled darkly.

"Not many can simply block or deflect my blade. I commend you, but if you lay a hand on my brother again, I will end your life. Don't make me do that, I am quite fond of nature."

"Keep your petty sentiments to yourself. Do not insult Seisha, or I swear I will not hold myself back. Just remember, I have a lot of knowledge on the flora and fauna of the world now. I can easily destroy your life without having to kill you. So do not tempt my hand." the dryad same firmly.

"Stop! Please stop fighting!" Seisha cried loudly. Soft little plinks could be heard as his tears solidified into rubies, falling onto the floor. Dark streaks of blood could be seen coming from the corners of his eyes. "Can't we all just be friends?!"

"Is this the part… where you say… that friendship is magic?" the demonologist said, rubbing his neck.

"Why Lars, I didn't know you were a Brony." the voice of Shiro said, as she rose from her nap. She rubbed her eyes, rising to her feet. "It's quite uplifting to hear that."

"I am not a Brony. Whatever, this is the last time I warn all of you, go ahead and return to your trivialities. See if care." he said, swiveling on his foot. He started walking back towards the door.

"Hey Lars, we're having a party at Karaoke Kaikan later. Guess what, you aren't invited! You can suck my balls!" the executioner cried out. The door to the boutique slammed loudly. Dalil, Seisha and Nyx all looked at the executioner, curious looks on their faces.

"Uh… why would you say that phrase out of all of them?"

"I dunno, it felt fitting." she said with a shrutg. "Ah...I feel so rested now! Thank you Nyx, you had a very comfortable pillow-slash-bosom!"

"You are welcome?"

"Miss Dalila, what does suck my balls mean?" Seisha asked innocently. Dalila flushed, quickly turning around.

"I'll tell you when you are older."

"Oh… okay. Well… the only reason I ask is that I thought it was something to do with private parts. Maybe it's because Shiro is a boy?" he said.

"Sweetheart, Shiro is a girl. What he said was nothing more than an insult, when you are older, big sis Lila will let you know." Nyx said. Seisha frowned, bowing his head.

"But… Shiro is a boy… just the other night, I woke up to pee behind the rock in the cave and I saw her doing something funny. She was tugging and pulling on her weiner. I was gonna ask what she was doing, but she moved and I jumped back. I pretended to go to sleep right after so she wouldn't know."

Everyone remained silent, not knowing what to say. Nyx and Dalila shared a look, jaws aslack due to this new revelation. They looked at Shiro who was just standing in place, a frown on her face. It wasn't one of embarrassment, more of disdain. As if she was disappointed about something. She sighed, shaking her head. "Of all the people that could have caught me jacking off, it had to be Sharkbait."

"Wait… Shiro is really a?"

"Yes… he is." Mackenzie replied, a flush on her cheeks.

"Let's go Seisha, we need a spiritual cleansing right now," Dalila said, grabbing his hand. "Come on sweetie, I've got a lot of things to explain to you."

"Okay, see you later guys! Miss Shiro, feel free to use my rubies for your dresses!" the Samebito said happily, as the two left the store. Shiro sighed, turning back towards one of her manikins, the one that contained the cat-themed outfit she had been making for herself.

"This is embarrassing."

"Yeah, I'll say. What the fuck Shiro, this whole time you were pretending to be a girl? Why?"

"I wasn't really pretending, you all assumed I was a girl so I went with it," he said with a shrug. A devious smile appeared on his face as he eagerly turned around. "You wanna see my dick?"

"No/Yes!" the two girls exclaimed. Mackenzie and Nyx shared a look, both glaring at each other. Shiro giggled to himself.

"Well, majority vote wins and since I get one, my dick is coming out!"

Nyx let out a scream as she bolted from the clothing shop, almost tripping over Seisha's ruby tears. Shiro let out a laugh, holding into the counter as he watched the halfling go. He sighed, glancing back at Mackenzie. "So, you still wanna see it?"

"I uh… I've never seen one before," she said with a blush.

"Well if it comes out then it'll need special attention, the dragon has been awakened, as they say." the gyaru said. Mackenzie eagerly nodded, racing towards the doors, she flicked the entrance door lock, a dull click filling her ears.

* * *

**Location: Haverhill Motel**

**Time: 11:45 PM**

**Date: August 14th, 2020**

"So… what did you wanna talk about Miyaki?" Charlotte asked, trying and failing not to be awkward. She was sitting outside the Motel's Patio, a steaming kettle of tea resting between the two girls.

"You know exactly what the fuck I wanna talk about, don't beat around the bush!" the circus performer snapped, glaring at the pinkette. "You know what you did!"

"Ah I see, so you are here to apologize for barging into my room last night."

"What?"

"You walked into our room without our permission sweetheart. Sure you knocked, but you didn't wait for either of us to give you permission to enter. Thus you broke the cardinal rule of breaking and entering. So what you saw was your own fault." the siren replied, as she finished pouring herself a cup of tea. She poured one out for Miyaki, who was sitting in place, mouth opening and closing like a fish, as she tried to formulate a response. "One lump or two?"

"Okay… first, off I feel the need to tell you this! Lock. Your. Damn. Door. Second, I'm sorry… I shouldn't have barged in there without making sure you had heard me."

"That's what I thought." the girl jokingly replied. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry too, me and Daisuke got into it and we forgot to check the lock. I was already in heaven by the time I realized it was unlocked. You were already standing in front of us." she said nonchalantly. Miyaki looked down at her teacup, her face completely red.

"How can you two just… do _that_? With everything that's going on right now?" she asked softly. Charlotte didn't know what to say, rather she just silently sipped her tea. She looked around the plaza, seeing a few of their friends moving about. She saw Reukra and Haruna tossing a football back and forth, while Seisha eagerly awaited his turn with a frisbee that Dalila had found. She let out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair, despite them being webbed.

"I know it might be wrong to do that kind of stuff, especially _here _of all places. But sometimes you need to do that sort of thing. To relieve stress or whatever else might be plaguing your mind. I wasn't expecting to actually do anything like that when I woke up here. I guess I fell really hard for Dais."

"Hmm… despair does some interesting things to you doesn't it?" the blonde asked softly. She leaned back in her seat, placing her hands on her lap. "A lot of horrible things happen to you, but you can also find hope in the smallest of things."

"Mhm… even now we've gotten this bit of reprieve. I don't know how long the calm is going to last, however."

"I know that feeling. I fell into a false sense of security when I was on the moon, and well you know what happened." Miyaki said, rubbing the scar on her neck. She shuddered a bit when she felt the stitches on her palms.

"Do you remember anything before that? Like how you were taken to the moon in the first place?"

"Not really… I do recall one thing though. When Hope's Peak Academy was turned into a shelter, the classes that had been scouted had been sectioned off. They were to be taken elsewhere for their protection. I'm not sure what happened after that, but I do recall a supposed 81st class being talked about." she replied, grabbing a hold of her teacup.

"Hope's Peak Academy was trying their best to protect their students. Yet in the end, nothing they did could prevent what happened. At least I can say I was safely hidden away in a bunker, yet my own fruitless search for talent brought me here."

"That's all talent ever does. We used to live in a world where you couldn't get anywhere without it, sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off not being accepted into Hope's Peak," she said with a sigh. "I guess I'll never know."

"Hmm… what was life for you like, before I mean?" the siren asked. Miyaki smiled softly, setting her cup down.

"It was beautiful. We were traveling all around the world, hitting every major city we could. We were stars. It may sound selfish, but I preferred the circus life to anything else I had. Of course, it was hard to learn things on the road, eventually, that lead to me and my friends going to regular high school. That was how I met Giselly and Shuhei."

"What lead to that? Meeting them I mean?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"Well… Peter's dad thought we were wasting too much time on tour. He feared that if something happened to the circus, we wouldn't have anything to fall back on. So he chose a school for all of us to go to. He figured us going to Japan would be a good learning experience. Peter and Kitty were fluent in various languages while I'm fluent in English and Japanese." she paused, taking a long sip from her rapidly cooling up. She sighed, glancing out at the plaza.

"Despite being my best friends, Peter and Kitty sort of disappeared. We still talked but we were swamped with school work. When people found out I was in the circus, they kept making fun of me. Either that or they didn't believe me. Without them to back me up, I felt alone. There was this girl though, Marie, who became one of my close friends. She believed everything I said."

Charlotte reached for the tea kettle, pouring the girl another cup. She could tell the story was going to take a turn for the worse. By the tone of voice and body language alone, the siren knew that it wasn't a happy story. Miyaki silently thanked her, reaching for the nearby sugar cubes.

"Marie was a nice girl. Sweet, kind, funny, wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She was basically another Kitty, except not obsessed with cats, pixie stix and whatever else she put into your bloodstream. Everything great, at least until the school bully Otoni started to pester us. I'll skip over the finer details…" she said, heaving a sigh as she drank a bit more of her tea. "Otoni found out Marie had feelings for me. He shared this with our school and started making fun of her. All because she had a crush on me… she never told me her feelings though. The day after the school found out, she committed suicide."

The siren gasped, dropping her teacup onto the ground. It shattered into pieces, the amber liquid it contained spilling all over the floor. She rapidly stood up pulling the Circus Performer into a tight hug. "Miyaki, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. I've shared this story with someone else already, I'm just glad that I am able to talk openly about it. Daisuke also told me on the Carpathia that Gis had similar feelings for me. It hurts… my two best friends ended up dying before confessing. I'm not exactly sure what I would have done if they had told me."

"Is it because you like Peter?"

"It isn't that I like him, it's just…" she shook her head, glancing away from the pinkette. "He's been there for me through most of my life. The circus life isn't as cracked up as it's made out to be. It is hard work. I'm an Ultimate because I managed to master most if not all of the routines our circus had. If one of the performers couldn't make it or was sick, I was the replacement. I've done a lot of things to bring smiles to people all over the world. But even now, there are times where I ask myself if that's the life I want to go back to."

"Perhaps it would be best to talk to Peter about it, once you get out of here, of course." Charlotte said firmly. "Not only him, but Kitty as well… it's only a shame that Shuhei is also gone."

"Mhmm… I'm the last one of our little trio. If I get out of here, it'll fall on my shoulders to make sure they continue living."

"Hey girls!" a male voice said, causing the two to jump. Daisuke had approached the two, holding a pack of donuts in his hands. He was wearing a new garment as well. Rather than his usual scholar look, he was wearing a black tee-shirt. It had bright paint splatters on it, in varying colors, reds, greens and blues being the most prominent. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, different than the ones he had been wearing before. These were a bit looser on him and not as restricting. He still wore his favorite pair of boots, having cleaned all of the mud and blood from them. Over his outfit, he was wearing something entirely different.

Gone was his vest, now he was wearing a trench coat. It was made out of the finest fabric around, featuring a thick rounded collar that connected to sharp-looking lapels. It had broad shoulders, with slender sleeves that extended downward to his wrists, though he had them folded up to the elbow. The coat extended downward past his waist, ending right above his knees. It had round buttons on either side of the coat in two button intervals. Much like his shirt, the entire coat seemed to have been splattered with fluorescent paint. The entirety of the garment seemed as if it was shot at by paintballs. On the back, was Daisuke's class number along with the emblem of Hope's Peak Academy. The last thing that could be seen on the coat was Shiro's hand-stitched name, written in a fancy script. The two girls were floored by his appearance, with Charlotte giving an impressed whistle.

"Wow… Shiro outdid herself. That jacket came out looking great!" Charlotte said, giving the man a peck on the cheek. He flushed, chuckling.

"I know right? I gave her an idea off the top of my head and she outright _hated it_. I don't know what it is, but when Shiro hates something, she hates it with a passion. Mackenzie ended up spilling a bit of paint on one of her fabrics and boom! Instant idea. It's a bit of a retro-90s style, but I love it." he said happily. His gaze shifted towards Miyaki, who was looking at the nearby wall, having found it more interesting. "Erm… hey Kiki."

"H-hi." she said softly, still not looking at him.

"This is awkward as shit but… I'm sorry alright? I should have locked the door last night. It wasn't even my intention to do… that with Charlotte." he said firmly. Miyaki sighed, finally looking at him.

"Listen, it's alright. You just wanted to express your love to her, couples do that a lot. Not to mention all of us were stressed and disappointed after what happened. You needed that, both of you. You're my closest friends here, so you both are forgiven."

"I'm certainly glad you forgave us Kiki… I felt bad for the rest of the night afterward. I just wanted to talk to you and apologize but I knew you needed time alone."

"Well, I mean… if I saw the same shit that she saw after barging into someone's room… I think I would need some time alone too. Not to mention she vocally advised us of _what _she was going to be doing." the storyteller said, a teasing smirk on his face. "So… did ya rub one out?"

"Ugh… I can't believe I'm being asked this question twice in one day." the circus performer mumbled, giving him a nod. "Yes, I rubbed one out or slicked one out or whatever you want to say. Just know that it wasn't because I saw the two of you in my mind, I just needed to destress is all."

"Keep telling yourself that." the man said with a laugh. The wind suddenly picked up, causing the three of them to shiver. The man glanced over his shoulder, peering out into the skies. The sunlight was no longer visible. "I'm getting a bad feeling girls… this fog is weird."

"Hmm… I've been feeling nervous this entire time. Earlier today when I was going to the store, I ended up bumping into someone. I thought it was Mackenzie, we were shooting the breeze, just discussing several things. But then a corgi ran in front of us and started barking loudly. I turned my head for one second, and when I looked back, she was gone." Miyaki said, reaching for the tea kettle, pouring herself another cup. "I'm honestly scared right now, I think I'm seeing shit just like we were on the Titanic."

"I don't think this fog works like that." Charlotte said, clearing her throat. "I saw a cat earlier… a tabby I think. It was this really cute fur ball, I wanted to pet it but it started hacking up hairballs. Those ended up morphing into tarantulas… its entire head sprouted legs and… eew… just thinking about it gives me chills."

"Heh… I guess I wasn't the only one who saw the damn cat then." the storyteller mumbled softly. Charlotte gave him a look, but he shrugged it off. "Let's just be careful alright? I'm gonna head to the store real quick… I'm getting a runny nose from all of this fog and I need some tissues. Would you like anything from there?"

"We're all set dear, thanks for the donuts." the circus performer said happily. Charlotte shared a kiss with the man, brushing some hair out of his eyes before he left.

"Be careful."

"Always."

The two watched him go, slowly disappearing in the fog. Rocket Punch Market was still visible of course, but some parts of the plaza were starting to get hidden by the thick blanket that was rolling in. Charlotte shared a look of concern with Miyaki. "I think we should start carrying our guns… just in case."

"I agree… the last thing we need is an infected jumping at us. But something tells me the infected will be the least of our worries."

* * *

**Location: Rocket Punch Market**

**Time: 2:00 PM**

**Date: August 14th, 2020**

Daisuke stood at the grocery store, back facing the Duplicator as he reached for a box of tissues on the high shelf. Suffice it to say, the fog had given him a bit of a runny nose. After seeing the weird cat earlier, and a somewhat awkward meeting with Miyaki, the man needed to blow his nose. Napkins wouldn't do, so he decided to head to the store. He, however, wasn't expecting his young friend to approach him so avidly. He grabbed the tissue box, turning to face the boy.

"You want my advice... on how to properly satisfy a woman?"

"That's right. I wanna know all of your secrets, I've been told that you are quite the charmer. I wanna charm Haruna and make her blush like crazy! She's been teasing me a lot so it's my turn to tease her!"

"Uh... okay." the man said, scratching his neck. "Satisfy her in what way? Honestly, baking is an excellent way. Women love sugar, so sweets are usually the way to-"

"Sex."

"I... I beg your pardon?" the man asked, eyes widening. "You came to me for sex advice? Why?"

"Because you had sex with Sayaka fucking Maizono! Not only that, she told me they called you Chadsuke in high school!" he said excitedly. Daisuke sighed, shaking his head.

_"Goddamn it Hiyoko, even in death you continue to fuck me." _the man thought sourly. He didn't exactly know how to curve the younger boy's enthusiasm either. He had even noticed he had a pen and a pad with him. He didn't know if he should be flattered or embarrassed. The storyteller sniffled a bit, as he tore the tissue box open.

"Reukra, I don't exactly know what brought this on in you. However, whatever advice I can give you is useless. You and Haruna are starting out, I think you should take it slowly. Haruna seems like a shy person at heart, and I know that she's been masking her anxiety issues while we travel. Just… be gentle with her."

"I know that but… after what happened on the Titanic, and almost dying in this city I-" the young man paused, lowering his head. "-I think I'm genuinely in love with her. I've only ever felt this way for another girl and she's long gone. I want to be with Haruna, in the same way, that you and Charlotte are together."

The storyteller frowned, giving the boy a nod. He looked up at the ceiling, not exactly knowing what to say. After a moment, he cleared his throat, gesturing for Reukra to follow along. "I don't normally condone this shit, but you are right. On this island, you don't know when your time could come. You gotta make the most of what you got."

"Right right. I'll be honest, the only sex advice I got is from watching Hentai when I was bored at home. That was of course before my bastard father took me away from my mother, but that's beside the point."

"Bastard father?" Daisuke asked, giving the young man a smirk. Reukra sighed, giving him a nod.

"Y-yeah… my father was part of the United States Marine Corps. He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan when he met my mother, Aikeno. The two hit it off and got married shortly after, then I came along. The first few years were great, my mom was and is the best mom in the world. She gave me this bandanna, which I've never taken off." he said, gesturing to the bandanna tied to his wrist. "My father didn't like how my mother babied me, he wanted a strong man in the family. Not some faggot fairy momma's boy. I also use it to hide something else."

Daisuke watched as the orange haired lad pulled the bandanna. His eyes widened when he saw all of the slash marks on his wrists. Some of them were on top of each other, while others looked very deep. All of them had long since healed, but he could tell which ones were recent. The storyteller swallowed the lump in his throat. "Did you… cut yourself to relieve stress?"

"No… no nothing like that. My father forced me to cut myself so I could get used to the pain. He put me through a regimen far harsher than what the Marine Trainees went through. Hell, there was this kid that was close to my age. Lee R. Emmerson, the Supreme Drill Sergeant. The kid was insane, he went as far as shaving his head bald to fit the stereotype." Reukra said, holding back his chuckles. "He was pretty chill when you got to know him though and gave this total alpha entrance speech when we joined up for Boot Camp. I didn't see him again after a while though, probably got deployed."

Reukra stopped walking, his body quivering a bit as he tried to gather his thoughts. He was clutching his wrist tightly, covering his scars with his bandanna. "He did that for a few years… 3, in fact. He turned me into a subservient doll. He pushed me harder and farther than anyone. Training me to do things I didn't want to do. You ever notice how when we're running I never get winded?"

"I noticed that… you never got tired from our chase with the minotaur. And despite being surrounded by infected, you held your own just fine. You were showing prowess with a firearm that I didn't think was possible. I half thought you were a member of Fenrir from seeing you fight. Even Alice was impressed," the man said jokingly. Reukra chuckled, sighing sadly.

"Yeah… that's because of my training. In his eyes, I was nothing more than the perfect soldier. Bred like a dog of war, ready to be sent out when the call was to be had. I had to live through the Tragedy being trained by that asshole, from the age of 13 until just recently. I had been plotting to get away from him and I… I ended up getting my chance."

"You killed him didn't you?" Daisuke asked, without hesitation. Reukra didn't need any words, he just gave him a nod.

"Yeah. He wanted a soldier and he got one. He pushed me too damn far… I told him, I told him to stop but he kept pushing. He finally brought up my mom… calling her useless, a cunt and a dumb ass for raising a fairy-like me. I snapped… I threw the bayonet in my hand at him and ended up stabbing him right in the gut. Before I knew it, I was on top of him, punching him in the face. I blacked out after that, but when I came back… I realized what I had done. So I ran… I ran and ran… and ran. I found a random ship going to America and got on it. It just turned out it was coming here. It was karma that I ended up here, the bastard is probably laughing at me."

The two finally arrived at the family planning aisle, noticing most if not all of the baby diapers were gone. Most of the feminine pads were gone as well as some canisters of baby formula. They continued walking in silence, looking around for a moment until they reached the very end of the aisle, which was filled with various types of contraceptives, lubricants, and other sexual items. Reukra cleared his throat, once again grabbing his attention.

"You probably hate me don't you? You think I'm a piece of shit because I'm a killer."

"Actually I don't. I commend you in fact, those that do things like that deserve a dose of justice. They do not hold the life of someone in the palm of their hand and pretend to be god. In my opinion, he got what he was coming to him." the man said with a shrug, as he grabbed a box of Trojan condoms. He looked them over, reading the back.

"You… really don't hate me?" Reukra asked, tilting his head. He shook his head, turning to face him.

"Once upon a time, there was a young boy who dreamed of nothing more than to tell a story. He wanted to write fables and tales of yore, expanding through the many generations. There would be talk about dragons, fairies, and princesses. Knights and shining armor, kingdoms that needed to be saved, oppressed lands that needed to be freed, and tyrants that needed to be killed. Alas, things weren't always happy for this boy.

You see… his father was a businessman, a traditional worker who wanted nothing more than for his son to be like him. He wanted him to go into the stock market, to trade stocks, sell shares and handle company money. The boy found it boring, he wanted nothing more than to continue his dream. But his father forbade it. Even his mother, a gentle soul, was forbidden from helping him.

His uncle was much the same, working in the same firm as his brother, treating his wife like shit. It came to the point where the woman, his aunt, killed herself due to stress, leaving behind her own daughter, the little boy's cousin. His mother took her in, and raised her like her own daughter, another little girl for the family, as the boy already had his sister.

The father didn't like that… no, he loathed it in fact. He wanted his brother to take back his daughter, but he refused, finding it more fun to blow his hard earned cash on beer and hookers. There came a point in time, where the little boy's mother grew tired of her husband and filed for divorce. He pulled strings, and cashed in favors, leaving her in the streets and disowning his children, 2 days before Christmas. The three kids had nowhere to sleep with their mother desperately searching for sanctuary, which she wasn't given. She decided to sleep under a bridge, using her own clothes to keep the children warm, at the cost of risking her own life. She almost died that winter, if it hadn't been for a kind old man that helped her.

The boy became… different, after his experience in the real world. His stories started to change, they had become mature. He wanted nothing more than to share his talent with the world, a talent deemed useless by his father, who still yearned for the perfect son. Alas, that wasn't possible. The woman eventually moved back to Spain with her mother, taking her children with her, it was here that his cousin joined a convent, choosing to live a life of purity under the service of god.

All was quiet… his sister was growing into a beautiful young woman, and people began noticing that. Gangsters started preying on her, but as the dutiful older brother, he kept them at bay. He fought often, but he came out the victor, and sometimes the loser. So long as his little sister, his little princess was safe, that's what mattered. At least, until someone decided to hurt his sister in the worst way possible. A man, sworn to protect and serve the citizenry, had used his power and lorded it over her. He did sick and vile things to her, though he thankfully never raped her. Molestation in the mind of a 14 year old becomes something quite haunting. She was destroyed… she was no longer the little girl he adored, the princess he grew to love. He wanted nothing short of vengeance on that man.

He changed his story. Rewrote it, writing a new chapter in his life. If he was able to write a story, and soothe people's minds throw the work of his voice alone, then there was no way he couldn't do something about this. Thus he wrote a story, a story of a man who fought for justice, by killing the criminals that wrought the streets of the world. He recorded his voice, and used his words as a trigger, transforming himself into a denizen of the night, a sparkling star of justice. His first hit, a revenge kill on the man who had molested his sister. He broadcast it live on the internet and made sure the man suffered for what he did.

For years, he took down hundreds of scumbags, politicians, drug addicts, human traffickers and rapists who plagued the world. All while continuing the guise of a normal teenager. Of course, he was, the other side of him was hidden within the confines of a book. T'was nothing more than ink on paper as it were, in a language that only he could understand. Not long after the Tragedy broke out… he got his chance to get his Ultimate Revenge.

He was able to track down his father, the sole remaining male of his family. He had married anew and had gotten a new wife, which he then left following the suicide of his stepson. He blamed it on the young man after he clearly convinced him to pull the trigger. He had been doing a lot of scummy things, but nothing was scummier than forcing companies into bankruptcy and ruining lives. But most importantly, he was responsible for throwing them out on the streets, calling his talent useless, and most of all, leading to the molestation of his then 14 year old sister.

So he tied him up to a chair, told him what he did wrong, and caved his head in. He bashed it in with a barbed wire baseball bat. And he loved it. He relished in it. He wanted nothing more than for the man's life to end. It was his reward, what he was building up to! His excitement grew so much that he… he realized he was falling into despair. He knew that if he kept following the dark path, that he would end up like the freaks on television, like the ones he had sworn to take down. And thus… he left and went on a journey to find himself, and to keep his family safe. However, the mask was there, for him to don when it was needed, and believe me… it wasn't long before he had put it on his face anew. The Sparkling Star of Justice wasn't going to be sated… he had been far too gone."

The Ultimate Duplicator remained silent, letting the story sink into his brain. He had been so entranced by Daisuke's words that he didn't realize he was listening to a story. It was then that he realized he had been crying. The man's voice had been somber, laced with anger and happiness, along with sadness. It had been a varying range of emotions, and it had been gripping. He waited a few moments, before finally asking…

"This is your story isn't it?"

"Mhmm… every word of it is true."

"I see… but wait, if that's true then… that moniker, the Sparkling Star of Justice… that sounds like that serial killer that sprung up in Spain… that means you're…" the boy jumped back, a look of shock on his face. "You're… _him?_"

"No… I'm not him. He was just a book that I read to hypnotize myself, however… Jibo Momota seems to have made him real, in a sense. Worry not, I am the one in control. I told you this story because I trust you. We're not so different… in the end, we were just kids who were forced by their fathers to do things that we didn't like. Typical growing up bullshit." he said with a shrug. He tossed the young man the box of condoms he had selected. "Fire and Ice, Hiyoko loved those when we were together. Remember to put them on, the last thing you want is to knock her up while we're here."

"I… okay," Reukra said firmly, shoving the condoms in his pocket. He cleared his throat, giving the man a smile. "Thanks for sharing that with me, I'm glad that you trust me enough to tell me."

"Hmm… it's no problem. I just felt like it was time to tell someone, you remind me a lot of myself at your age. Freshmen in Hope's Peak, surrounded by people far more talented than I was. It was odd but also uplifting. And to think, I almost rejected the letter… I'm glad that I didn't… I wouldn't have met so many good people." he said with a grin. He sighed, bowing his head. "Of course… most of them are dead… Ibuki, Leon, Gundham, Sonia, Angie, Hiyoko… so many others died in that school. I believe that's the reason that I am truly here… so that I can end Jibo's life… and take out one of the many bringers of despair in this world."

"It'll be alright Daisuke, we'll get out of here…" the duplicator said, giving him a grin. "Were gonna see our friends and loved ones, and we're going to live an awesome life. I don't even care that you are a serial killer, you're still my friend. I trust you more than Lars at least."

"Heh… that's hilarious. The serial killer is trusted more than the man who's killed one person, how ironic." the storyteller said with a laugh. Reukra rolled his eyes, flipping through the pages of his notepad.

"Alright, so let's move onto positions! Which one do you recommend? Missionary, doggy? Side? Some other kinky one like Reverse cowgirl?"

"Whoa there, hang on… we haven't even talked about foreplay yet."

_**xxx(End of Act 7)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects 18**

**AN: Hello everyone! I wanna apologize for not updating this story for a while. It's been rough haha. Ever since I came back from D.C. I've just had no motivation to continue this story. That isn't to say I am not going to finish it! No no no! I am going to finish it but at a later date. I have all my ideas set aside, I've just run into a dry spell of sorts. I don't want to lose interest entirely in the series, and that only happens if I force the chapters out or force myself to write them. They come out sub-par in nature and that isn't what I want. So, that's why I haven't written anything. These two chapters are from the backlog I wrote back in August, I just haven't had the time to post them. So as a final post for this story for possibly a few months, I am going to leave you all with a bang! Acts 7 and 8 will be posted back to back, with 8 being posted in a couple of hours. So I hope you enjoyed them. As of now, Isle of the Damned is going dormant, only for a little while though. See you all soon!  
**


	40. C3 Act 8: As the Fog Rolls In

House of Horrors: Isle of the Damned

Chapter 3

**Act 8: As the Fog Rolls In**

**Location: Karaoke Kaikan**

**Time: 2:00 PM**

**Date: August 14th, 2020**

Shiro's party was in full swing. It was a bit early for one, but the executioner didn't seem to mind. In her words, 'the earlier it starts, the more time we have to get wasted!' so everyone decided to just follow her lead. The Karaoke bar was screaming with life, people were joking, drinking and playing various games in the nearby arcade. Of course, the main event was the karaoke part of the bar. While others like Riku were there for the bar aspect, everyone else was just looking forward to a bit of singing. Sayaka had finished setting everything up, walking off the stage, much to the surprise of the others.

"Oh come on, you aren't singing?" Reukra asked a look of disappointment on his face. The blue haired woman shook her head, giving him a smile.

"Sorry Reukra, I'm just not in the mood to sing right now. I'd rather relax and watch all of you enjoy yourselves."

"As much as I want to sing, I'm sitting this one out too. The last thing I want is to hypnotize all of you like back at the camp." Charlotte said, sounding disappointed. Shiro slammed her beer bottle onto the counter, a grin on her face.

"Well if none of y'all want to sing, then I guess I'm going first! And I am taking Rika Nyan Nyan with me!"

"I said no Shiro! It's bad enough that you talked me into this damn outfit, but I am not going to sing!" the Neko said firmly. Shiro giggled. It was clear she was having none of that shit, she grabbed a hold of his wrist, dragging him towards the stage.

Daisuke held back a chuckle when he got a full view of Riku's outfit. It was rather cute in his opinion. The man was wearing a pinstripe vest over a short sleeved white shirt. It was a dark brown color, with light brown stripes at every interval. It was decorated with golden buttons that gleamed under the stage lights. He was wearing a pair of pink and gold puffed out shorts that ended at mid-thigh. On his legs, were a pair of white kitty themed stockings, with cute little cat faces stitched into the front. He was wearing a pair of pink booties on his feet. Atop his head, despite having his own ears, he donned a pair of pink kitty ears. His real ears were flat against his head, his tail coiled between his legs.

"Alright! I and Rika are gonna sing one of her famous songs! 3 steps away from Nyan!"

"No, I am not singing shit!" Riku cried out, only for Shiro to tug on his cheek.

"Aw, he's being difficult! Now Riku repeat after me, Nyan Nyan!" the girl said, holding her fists up mimicking paws. He sighed, bowing his head in defeat, cheeks glowing crimson.

"Nyan Nyan~"

"Good Kitty! Now let's start this song!" she cried, pressing play on the touch screen. A loud ding filled the entirety of the bar as the music started flowing from the speakers. She grabbed one of the cat-themed microphones, shoving it in Riku's hand. "Here we go! Nyan Nyan Rika Nyan!"

"Oh god, she's horrendous," Sayaka said, holding her hands over her ears. She felt someone tap her shoulder and realized it was Daisuke, holding a pair of earplugs out to her. She practically yanked them from his hand, shoving them in her ears, a sigh of relief leaving her lips.

"It was such a great idea to have a cookout Miyaki. It's been such a long time since I've had this much fun." Mariana said, setting all of the food on one of the tables they had set up within the karaoke bar. The doors had been left open, as they had set up just outside.

"Thanks, Mariana! We used to have a lot of these when were traveling around, it was always a fun time. Sitting around a fire, roasting weenies, making s'mores and just... Enjoying the fresh air. Even though it's foggy outside, we can still make the most of it!"

"Not only that, but it can be useful!" Bethany cried out happily from her spot on the ground. She grabbed a hold of the spatula that lay beside her, digging it under the patty that was cooking on her stomach. "Would you like some seasoning on this?"

"Uh… no." the blonde said, clearing her throat. "You made this on the grill right?"

"Yes, why the hell would you assume that I cooked these on her?"

"I dunno. Weird shit happens on this island, I just wanted to make sure!" she said with a shudder, rubbing her eyes with her hand. "Look, I've seen so much weird shit in my time as a performer, I just get used to this. That's why I asked alright?"

"That's fair I guess. Let's just focus on making this for everyone, at least we don't have any vegans among us, that would be fucking awful." the redhead said with a grin.

"I was once a vegan, I kinda soured on the whole idea after watching VeganGains on YouTube, that guy is a fucking prick." Miyaki said, setting the platter of hamburgers on the table. "Alright guys, the burgers are ready, we're gonna focus on making more so help yourselves. And before you ask, no we didn't cook these on Bethany."

Over by the arcade, Diego was staring at the triangle of colored balls that rested in the center of the table. After a moment or so, he leaned over it, pulling his cue stick back. With a soft tap, the cue ball shot forward, sending the colored balls in various directions. "Alright, from here on it's a lot easier Lila."

"Um okay… is it my turn yet?" she asked, as the man walked around the table. He shook his head, taking aim at the cue ball.

"We need to decide who has what balls. You have to pick one and a pocket and if you sink it, then you can claim that color. You keep sinking balls until you sink them all, and then you can sink the 8 ball and win the game. If I miss this shot, then it's your turn."

He pulled the cue back, striking the ball with force. The cue ball sent several others in all directions, but none fell into the pockets, making him sigh. He gestured for Dalila to take the shot, the inexperienced girl leaned forward over the table. He tried to keep his eyes on the table, but found himself staring at her behind itself. The crack of the balls was what brought him back, just in time to see the solid yellow 1 ball sinking into the corner pocket.

"There you go, now you have solids. You have to keep hitting the solids and get them in the pockets, if you do then you get to sink the 8 ball."

"Why can't I sink it now? It's right next to the center pocket." she asked curiously.

"That's not how it works. If we're playing 8's, the 8 ball always goes last. Think of it like the final challenge okay?'

"Pool is a hard game," Seisha mumbled, a look of confusion on his face. He was sitting on the unused billiards table, watching his friends play. Diego chuckled, giving him a smile.

"You'll get the hang of it soon Seisha. Just pay attention to what we do, we can play a game once we finish this round, okay?"

"Mhmm… I'm gonna go get some food," he said, heading towards the nearby good table. Dalila sighed, watching him go.

"Something the matter dear?" Diego asked curiously, a look of concern on his face. Dalila shook her head, grabbing a hold of the chalk.

"No… well yes. I am a bit worried about Seisha's well-being. A place like this isn't suitable for someone like him. Not to mention, I'm starting to think he is far younger than we originally thought. His attitude on the Titanic was the first clue, but his avatar change mid tragedy also clued me into it."

"Hmm… you think he's a kid don't you?" the man asked, earning a nod from the dryad. He shook his head sadly. "Jesucristo, sagrado sea tu nombre."

"It's awful… thinking that Jibo actually brought a child here and is making them go through this. What kind of monster does that?" she asked, sniffling. She ended up missing her shot, passing the turn to Diego.

"Everything will be fine Lila, just focus on this game, or literally anything else. We're supposed to be relaxing, yeah?"

"You're right. Let's keep playing, I think I'm winning." she said, winking at the boy. He chuckled, giving her a peck on the nose.

"I'm going to win this one sweetheart, I'm willing to bet something too."

"Oh? A bet? How fun, I'll be something too then!"

The couple continued their chat, as Seisha moved towards the food table, staring at everything hungrily. A delectable scent filling his nostrils. He glanced down at the floor, jumping back slightly when he saw Bethany flipping a burger on her chest. She had another one in her hand, having taken a bite from it. She paused for a second, locking eyes with the samebito.

"Do you need something?"

"Why are you cooking food on yourself Miss Bethany? Isn't that unsanitary?"

"Hmm… not really. I mean, I'm essentially killing whatever bacteria is on my body so no. Besides, why waste time and effort in cooking on a grill when you can cook it on me?!" she said excitedly. She grabbed a nearby spice shaker, shaking some powder onto the burger. "Ah, I was so content when I found these at the store. These are spices from my home island, they make everything taste so divine!"

"May I make a burger? I'm really hungry, Mr. Diego and Miss Dalila are playing a game so I don't want to bother them."

"Sure thing sweetheart! Feel free to make whatever you'd like!" the Kuikawan cried encouragingly. Seisha sat down next to her, grabbing one of the uncooked patties from the table, placing it on Beth's chest. She giggled, holding back a snort. "It tickles."

"Um… Miss Bethany, why aren't you wearing a bra?" Seisha asked after a moment, having relieved the girl of her spatula. She let out a happy sigh, stretching her arms over her head, having finished her burger.

"That's because, on Kuikawa, we are firm believers in letting it all hangout! Atua put us on the world for a reason, we are beautiful in his eyes. So why should we cover ourselves with restricting clothing? Just because it's indecent? On my island, all of the women walk around topless. It's so freeing!"

"Is it bouncy?"

"Oh, it is very bouncy. Sometimes we did jumping jacks just to get the boys to look at us, teasing them was always fun." she said. Her smile turned into a frown, which made the samebito grow concerned.

"What's wrong Bethany? You were happy a second ago."

"I miss my home, my island, my people. I was supposed to be their Oracle, the one that spoke to Atua and delivered his messages to them. If I'm being honest, I don't think I ever heard his voice. Ever since losing Angie, I've been so lost in the world. We fought hard against despair, and Atua protected our island, yet in the end, I was still kidnapped and brought here against my will. It makes me wonder if Jibo planned this out or if I was just brought here randomly."

"Oh… I don't remember coming here at all. I don't even remember my momma or my papa. I was playing with Mr. Bitey one day and then it went black. I woke up here, with Mr. Diego and Miss Miyaki in the same room. I've tried to remember things, but I can't." he said softly. He returned his attention to the burger he was cooking, adding a few of the spices Bethany had offered him. "I think my dad was a scientist though… he talked a lot about Hope's Peak Academy, so maybe he was a teacher there."

"That's most likely the case. I read a lot of what happened on the news… most if not all of Hope's Peak's student body and faculty perished during the early days of the Tragedy. The only survivors were the 48 locked within the old school building. Me and my sister kept in contact a lot through what was left of the internet. However, she went radio silent for months. We finally got our answer about what happened when the first killing game was broadcast."

Seisha reached his hand out to the girl, giving her a pat on the head. She furrowed her brows a bit, but did nothing as he continued petting her. "Everything will be fine Miss Bethany. Miss Angie may be gone, but she's not forgotten. She was an awesome big sister, I want a big sister like her someday."

"Hehe… I don't think that's how it works, but this did cheer me up. Now don't let this burger burn okay? Hurry up and get the buns before it dries out!"

"Okay!"

_**xxx**_

"Alright, who's next?" Alice asked, having finished her song. Rebecca raced onto the stage, an acoustic guitar strapped around her shoulders.

"I'll go! I got an awesome song that me and my friends used to sing when were marching!" she cried excitedly. Alice hissed under her breath, handing her the microphone. She moved off the stage, allowing the Spectacular Soldier to continue. She cleared her throat, tuning the guitar a bit. She started strumming the guitar, the tune slowly filling the room. Daisuke, who was almost asleep, sat up at the sound of the tune, already knowing what song she was about to sing. He frowned, grabbing his glass of whiskey.

_"A long-ass fuckin time ago, in a town called Kickapoo_

_There lived a humble family, religious through and through_

_But yea there was a black sheep, and it knew just what to do_

_His name was young JB and he refused to step in line_

_A vision he did seeth fucking rocking all the time_

_He wrote a tasty jam and all the planets did align!"_

Rebecca gave the guitar several sharp strums, taking a deep breath. The others had been paying attention, most of them not aware of what she was about to sing.

_"Oh the dragon's balls were blazing_

_As I stepped into his cave_

_Then I sliced his fuckin cankles_

_With a long and shiny blade!_

_T'was I who fucked the dragon_

_Fuckalizing, fuck-a-loo_

_And if you wanna fuck with me_

_Then I shall fuck you too!_

_Gotta get it on and the party zone!_

_I gots to shoot a load in the party zone_

_Gotta lick a toad in the party zone_

_Gotta suck a chode in the party zone!"_

"Okay, that's enough of that!" Alice cried out, having pulled the microphone from Rebbeca's grasp. "Seriously, why would you pick that song out of all the ones that exist?"

"What? It was a funny song. Just because you don't like Tenacious D doesn't mean there isn't anyone out there that doesn't." she said, looking apologetic. She sighed, handing the veterinarian the guitar. "I'll just go to the bathroom, someone else can go."

The Soldier walked off stage, quickly heading to the bathroom. Once she was in the ladies' room, she locked the door, falling back onto it. She took her glasses off, groaning as she looked at them. "Here I thought it would be much easier integrating myself into this group as a woman. Maybe Isabella was a one off? I should have gone with Holly instead." she mumbled, as she walked towards the sink.

"You know, we wouldn't have to do this if you revealed your plans to us." a voice said, causing her to whirl around. Kinsei Momota chuckled as he leaned back against the wall, twirling his cane in his hand. "Of course, the whole reason you haven't told us is because you are on your own."

"Tch… my plans don't involve you boy. Neither does it involve Syd nor Saino. If you could step out where I could see you, that would be nice." she said, glancing towards the stalls. Syd walked out first, a tired look on his face as he stepped into sight. Saino followed suit, pushing her glasses up her nose as she looked around the room.

"I see your hearing is getting stronger. Care to tell me some other changes? I'd like to get your particular serum down pat in case we have need of it."

"As if I'm going to share every bodily change with you woman."

"A112, you are being particularly difficult with us. You were the one who wanted to join our staff as a student. Yet you didn't tell Doctor Momota your reasoning. If it is just to get your deceased wife back, then we could have easily brought her back." the Ultimate Surgeon said firmly.

"I'm not just doing this to bring my wife back, I am searching for something. Among these subjects lies someone with the perfect chromosome. Ursula had need of one, however, we cannot fully revive her without it." Rebecca said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a Hope's Peak Academy Student ID, flicking through it for a moment. "Here, this is what I require, I've studied the samples in the lab and none of them match."

Saino took a hold of the device, looking it over. If she was surprised, she didn't show it. Her face remained as firm and stoic as ever. She narrowed her eyes slightly, humming to herself. "Yes Sahka, this does seem to make things much more difficult."

"Ugh… this again? What's up with her? Does she have some imaginary friends or something?" Rebecca snapped, earning a chuckle from Kinsei, who tightened his grip on his cane.

"Actually, she sees stuff. She's explained it to my father before. Rathai, Aurora and Sakhka, two dragons and a wyvern, all supposedly representing a different aspect of herself. She let her imagination run rampant as a child and well, she's basically bottling it in."

"Heh… that explains quite a lot. Saino Terazawa was never a student of Hope's Peak Academy, nor was she someone who graduated and got a doctorate. Doctor Momota brought here for her knowledge on the supernatural creatures of yore and of course dragons. She is interested in our subjects for various reasons, and it seems you've brought something of interest to her." Syd added, glancing at the woman, who had finished her own conversation.

"There are two ladies in our group who have this particular chromosome. I do not know why it is that you need it, but that doesn't exactly matter. If you procure a DNA sample from either of them, then I shall do everything in my power to bring back Ursula."

"Then I'll get it, name the two and I'll get you those samples." she said firmly.

"That'll be difficult. I require a blood sample from both of them. It's going to be quite challenging for them to consent to it, especially with the distrust you've managed to bring."

"Just tell me who it is, so I can get those damn samples already!" Rebecca snapped angrily.

"Well look at you, demanding things like you hold power over us. That isn't every nice," Kinsei said, pressing his cane against her throat. She backed up, stopping when she hit the counter, a look of anger on her face. "You know, the last time someone annoyed me, I bashed their brains in. You wouldn't want that to be your fate right?"

"You don't scare me mortal, I've lived through many guises in my life, especially after being experimented on by those bastards in Hope Hills Preparatory Academy. I do not fear you, but I will not let you kill me either. After all, I am the most valuable asset you've got. No one else would go into the fray when they are moments away from being discovered."

"Oh… I like this side of you 'Becky'. Maybe you can I could have a bit of fun before going back to the party? I'm sure Syd and Saino would love a good show."

"Eat a dick you piece of shit." the woman spat angrily.

"Whatever the case may be, I have intentions of announcing the next motive tomorrow morning. The fog is beginning to settle and thicken. It won't be long until the real dangers of the fog start to present themselves. This hill will be silent no longer." she said firmly, reaching into her lab coat, pulling out a pair of syringes. "You'll need these for the blood samples, I trust that you know how to take blood, correct?"

"Of course, I spent enough time in the lab. I'm certain I can handle taking out blood. However, this mask is beginning to run thin on my mind. Rebecca isn't as well accepted as she could have been. So I might have to ditch it faster than I anticipated."

"It was you who chose the Spectacular Soldier. Didn't turn out so spectacular did it?" Syd mused, a smirk on his face. Rebecca flipped him off as she shoved the syringes in her back pocket, making sure they were well hidden.

"I don't like this form either, it's a little too flat for my tastes. Seriously, how these idiots haven't figured out you are still among them is beyond me. Cloning a body for Ethan just to shove in a shredder was a waste of time. If you want to ditch this one then you best find a way to do it that doesn't require wasting resources. Because we're running low as it is."

"Running low on resources? We restocked everything not that long ago." Syd mumbled, shifting his gaze towards Kinsei, a curious look on his face. "What are you planning?"

"You'll have to wait and see my friend, let's get out of Rebecca's hair, she's got her own mission. Also, do keep an eye on Alice, it seems our little experiment is about to reach the end of phase 2." the man said. Saino cleared her throat, grabbing their attention.

"I'm going to need those samples from Subject A105 and Subject A1119. Do that for me, and I shall bring your wife back, that is our agreement." she said, holding her hand out. Rebecca gave it a firm shake.

"Whatever, let's just get the fuck out of here. J-Pop is the most annoying garbage on this planet." Kinsei snapped angrily. With that, he pulled out his teleportation crystal, holding it out for Saino and Syd to touch. Rebecca stood silent as she watched them disappear.

"Hmm… a DNA sample from Nyx and Mariana huh?"

_**xxx**_

"_And the rain will kill us all,_

_Throw ourselves against the wall_

_But no one else can see,_

_The preservation of the martyr in me_

_And the rain will kill us all,_

_Throw ourselves against the wall_

_But no one else can see,_

_The preservation of the martyr in me_

_The limits of the dead,_

_The limits of the dead."_

Haruna sighed contently as the song ended. She gave a polite bow as she placed the microphone back onto the stand. She walked off the stage, walking back toward the bar where Reukra was standing, eyes still wide. She took a sip of her water, settling down on the bar stool. "I haven't sung a song in ages, my throat hurts a bit."

"Are you sure it's not because you sung a fucking Slipknot song?" Charlotte asked firmly.

"I can't believe she went as far as doing the deep screams too… Haruna you are so perfect." Reukra said, giving the girl a loving look. She flushed, ruffling his hair lovingly, placing a kiss on the side of his head.

"I'm glad you think so Roo," she replied lovingly.

"Alright, guys! Let's have someone else sing, come on… the night is still young!" Shiro exclaimed, flashing a grin to the crowd. It was clear that she was far more than tipsy, but she was still coherent enough to move about the stage.

"I can't believe it's already 5 o'clock. I didn't even notice," Daisuke said, as he glanced at his watch. "We still have some time to hang out but we should start winding down before 9 at least. We wouldn't want to get caught outside in this fog."

"I wanna sing a song," Mackenzie said, shuffling slightly as she finished what she was drawing. She looked it over for a moment, smiling a bit. She had been finishing work on a sketch she had made, of Shiro and Riku singing on stage. It was something she wanted to keep forever. "I'm nervous though… I don't know how to sing."

"Just sing from the heart sweetheart, you can't go wrong by doing that."

"My heart knows how to sing but sadly I sound like a broken cock when I sing." the painter said, earning curious looks from the others. "You… don't know what a cock is?"

"A rooster you mean?" the siren asked.

"Yeah sure, a rooster. An Ultimate Singer, I am not. I'm content enough just watching the others!" she said happily.

"Chug chug chug chug!" Bethany cried as Mariana continued downing down her whiskey. Diego was struggling to keep a straight face as he downed his own bottle of vodka, his cheeks glowed a fierce red. The woman slammed her bottle onto the table so hard it shattered in her hand. She tilted her head up, a flaming burp erupting from her throat. The flamethrower almost hit the ceiling from how fierce it was.

"You might be Mexican but even you can't hold your liquor like a Colombian." she slurred, grinning at the younger man.

"Usted no sabe con quien se a metido." Diego slurred back, giving her an equally large grin. Dalila sighed, grabbing a hold of Seisha's arm and pulling him into the arcade. She didn't want to see Diego drinking anymore.

Daisuke cringed, shifting his gaze towards another table, which contained several more of his friends. Riku was plastered, that much was obvious. The young man was sleeping on a pool table, soft Nyans leaving his sleep with every snore. Shiro stood over him with a marker, drawing whiskers on his face, much to her amusement. Nyx was walking around absentmindedly, she was looking for something but no one knew what it was. Then there was Kanemoto, who was crying into Miyaki's shoulder for one reason or another. The circus performer looked visibly uncomfortable, but there was nothing she could do. She locked eyes with Daisuke, a silent cry for help that went unanswered as he had shifted his gaze elsewhere.

"You know, you are right… watching our friends get piss drunk in a karaoke bar really changes my mood."

"You don't have to hit me with the full sarcasm Daisuke." Mackenzie said softly, hiding a small smile.

"Well… what song do you want to sing?" Haruna asked curiously. She set down her glass of water, standing up from her stool. "We can sing a duet or something if you'd like."

"Oh no… I couldn't ask you to do that. Your voice must be sore after singing Psychosocial like that. Besides, I have a really niche interest. None of my friends in Norway liked this band either, which made it hard to find someone that liked them." she said softly.

"What's the name of the band? Maybe I've heard them before," Charlotte asked, a soft smile on her face. Mackenzie looked down, poking her fingers together.

"F-Fall Out Boy. I have all of their albums… they've helped me through my downtimes, and the bits of depression I dealt with when my stories weren't being taken seriously. B-Bishop's Knife Trick is my favorite song out of all of them." she said softly.

"Oh you do?" Daisuke asked, holding back a laugh. He glanced back at the stage, a small smile on his face. "I love that song too… especially the meaning behind it. How deep it is, how it's a story about depression, suicidal thoughts, and how you come back... "

"Hmm… I don't think I've ever heard it, the last album of theirs that I heard was American Beauty/American Psycho." the siren said.

"Well, then I'm about to learn you some music." the storyteller said, pulling his messenger bag off of his shoulder. He placed it onto Charlotte's, making sure it was positioned perfectly. He gave her a light peck on the lips, before heading towards the stage.

"Oh oh oh! Dais is gonna serenade us! Yay!" Shiro cried happily, as she turned to face the stage. A few of the others, (those that were coherent) turned to face the man as well. He gave them a small wave, as he searched up the song.

"Erm… well, I don't usually sing but… as a storyteller, I did train my voice. I do have a bit of a talent in singing, enough for HPA to warrant a potential Ultimate Singer title, but it wasn't good enough in practice. It's been a long time but… this is a song that someone requested, and I must uphold that request."

The music slowly started filling the room, giving it a rather somber feel. It was much softer than the previous songs that had been sung. Daisuke closed his eyes as he grabbed a hold of the microphone, licking his lips as he took a deep breath.

_"I'm pedal to the metal make no mistake_

_This is my pity party, pity party_

_And I'm living out of time, eternal heatstroke_

_Spiritual revolt from the waist down_

_From the waist down_

_I'm just a full tank away from freedom_

_Spitfire_

_These are the last blues we're ever gonna have_

_Let's see how deep we get_

_The glow of the cities below lead us back_

_To the places that we never should have left_

_The last blues we're ever gonna have_

_Let's see how deep we get_

_The glow of the cities below lead us back_

_To the places that we never should have left_

_The last, the last, the last_

_The last, the last, the last_

_The last, the last, the last_

_The last, the last, the last."_

He paused for a moment, taking another breath as he backed away from the mic stand, heading back towards the middle of the stage. He turned his back to the small crowd, focusing on the back wall which had glowing neon lights flashing brightly.

_"I got a feeling inside that I can't domesticate_

_It doesn't wanna live in a cage_

_A feeling that I can't housebreak_

_And I'm yours_

_'Til the earth starts to crumble and the heavens roll away_

_I'm struggling to exist with you and without you, yeah_

_I'm just a full tank away from freedom_

_Spitfire_

_These are the last blues we're ever gonna have_

_Let's see how deep we get_

_The glow of the cities below lead us back_

_To the places that we never should have left_

_The last blues we're ever gonna have_

_Let's see how deep we'll get_

_The glow of the cities below lead us back_

_To the places that we never should have left_

_The last, the last, the last_

_The last, the last, the last_

_The last, the last, the last_

_The last, the last, the last."_

He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about the ones that had passed on. His friends, his family, the ones that had lost their lives on this island. He bit his lip softly as he turned back to face the crowd. Despite them being there, he couldn't see them, his mind was picturing something else. He was back at Hope's Peak Academy, standing in the plaza looking up at the school. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and the weather was beautiful. All of these thoughts seemed to span his mind, making it seem like hours had passed, yet it was only a brief moment.

_"I'm sifting through the sand, sand, sand, sand_

_Looking for pieces of broken hourglass_

_Trying to get it all back_

_Put it back together_

_As if the time had never passed_

_I know I should walk away, know I should walk away_

_But I just want to let you break my brain_

_And I can't seem to get a grip_

_No, no matter how I live with it_

_These are the last blues, yeah_

_The glow of the cities below lead us back_

_To the places that we never should have left_

_The last blues we're ever gonna have_

_Let's see how deep we get_

_The glow of the cities below lead us back_

_To the places that we never should have left_

_The last, the last, the last_

_The last, the last, the last_

_The last, the last, the last_

_The last, the last, the last."_

The song slowly ended, filling the room with silence. Daisuke reached up to the microphone stand, placing the device back in its place. He felt something rolling down his cheek and quickly wiped it away, realizing they were his own tears. He wiped them away as he hastily made it off the stage.

"Erm… maybe we should start packing up for the night, it is getting late." Miyaki said, trying not to make the moment even more awkward.

"I agree. Some of us are drunk and need to sleep it off, not to mention… the fog has gotten even thicker than before. I can barely see the motel now." Haruna added, glancing out through the open doors. Where at first, the lights that they had left on at the motel were visible, now they were completely shrouded.

"Maybe it's good that we brought our rifles and shotguns with us. They have lights we can use, though I'm not sure how they'll do with this thick fog. At least the karaoke bar is a straight shot from here."

"I'll take care of it," Kanemoto said softly, as she rose to her feet. She stumbled a bit as she reached inside her bag. She fumbled for a Pokeball, throwing it up into the air. "Go Pidgeot, DeFog!"

The Pokeball fell uselessly to the ground, clattering loudly. She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Right, I don't have a Pidgeot."

"How about you all start heading back? Me and Charlie barely had anything to drink, we'll stay here and start cleaning up. Mackenzie, you can stay with us if you'd like, I know you don't like going back to your room alone."

"O-okay." she said softly, shivering at the cold breeze that came in through the open doors.

"I'll stay here too… I got to sober up for a bit," Shiro said, holding back the urge to vomit. "Maybe I ate too much."

"We'll help too, Reukra be a dear and start gathering the food trays for me? I'll get all of the cups and utensils."

"I guess I'm on babysitting duty, there's no way Kanna is gonna make it back without vomiting all over the place. Hopefully not on my shoes, there are too cute to ruin with half digested cheese burgers." Miyaki said, standing up from her seat. She grabbed a hold of Kanemoto's arm, slinging it over her shoulder. "Come on you, a cold shower is in store, to get you to sober up."

"Nuuuu… I wanted to play Tekken 3." she mumbled, dragging her feet as she walked.

"Maybe this party wasn't such a good idea… we lost track of time and now look at how much fog there is. What even causes it? It's so thick it's supernatural." Sayaka said, as she started picking up empty bottles.

"Supernatural in nature huh?" Daisuke mumbled. He closed his eyes for a moment thinking back to one of his friends.

**_xxx(Flashback)xxx_**

"Sonia, are you sure this is what you wanna watch?" Daisuke asked, as he glanced over his shoulder. The Ultimate Princess nodded, giving the man a beaming smile. In her hands, she was clutching a movie, an American one, called Silent Hill.

"I've read the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. A lot of people have said that this movie is dog shit, but I don't think so. I wish to explore what horrors lie within this "Silent Hill" series. I've been told that the video games are good, but I don't have much time to spend on them." she said, frowning. He nodded, holding his hand out for the case.

"I couldn't call this movie a pile of dog shit, but it is pretty bad. I guess they took liberties from the video game… not a lot of the monsters that are in this movie make sense. Especially when they are created from the minds of the ones visiting Silent Hill." he said, slipping the disc into his gaming console. He grabbed the controller and started the movie, sitting down at his computer chair. "Erm… Princess, why did you come here to see this?" he asked, swiveling around to face the young woman. She had taken her hair out of its ponytail, and was running her hair brush through it.

"Well… it is the Christmas season, as you know. I normally head back home if I am away to spend the holidays with my family and loved ones. I know Laris has most likely been wanting to see me again, I, however, wished to spend my time away from the royal life, at least for a little while." she softly replied. She glanced at him from the reflection in the mirror, frowning. "Do you think I am selfish?"

"For wanting to be free from the royal life? Absolutely not."

"I see…" she said, setting the brush down. She sat down at the edge of his bed, intently staring at the television screen. "I don't have many friends back home, as you know. People loved me though, I was very friendly toward them and far too trusting. It's what lead to my various kidnappings."

"Oof… sorry to hear that Princess, I had forgotten you had been kidnapped a few times."

"It's quite alright dear, nothing to worry about. Whenever I wanted to watch something new or read a mystery novel, I would share it with my cousin Maribelle. She was my best friend. This was one of the many movies that we had on our list, however, she and I… well we're not friends anymore." she said, resting her face in the palm of her hand, her curtains of blonde hair fell around her face, eyes trained on the TV. "We had a bit of a falling out… which is why I wish to see this movie. I'm sure she's already seen it, Maribelle is quite finicky. We'll apologize to each other eventually, and when we do I want to have something to talk about."

"Alright… I'm down to watch anything you want. I mean, we're among the few idiots who decided to stay in Hope's Peak for the winter. Mom and Erika are visiting my cousin Anna, and you know Old Man Ramos passed away, so I have no one to spend my time with."

"What about Hiyoko? Aren't the two of you dating?" Sonia asked, furrowing her brows. "Don't tell me you two broke up already, you were my OTP!"

"Huh? No, we haven't broken up. She decided to go to Milan with Junko on a sporadic trip. I'm not sure about you but I don't like that. Hiyoko has been spending far too much time with Junko lately. I feel like she's corrupting her mind." Daisuke said firmly, pressing 'Play'. Sonia let out a giggle, leaning back against the wall, pulling the bedsheets over her legs.

"I think Daisuke is just jealous that his girlfriend is spending time with another woman."

"Eh… shuddup." the man said, tossing popcorn at her face. She eagerly scooped it up, tossing the kernels into her mouth. "So what interested you in this movie? And the series?"

"The monsters of course! There are quite a lot of them hiding in the fog! Pyramid Head is among my favorites. When you hear those chains, it's game over!" she cried excitedly. "I also want to see how many people die if I'm being honest."

"Heh… that's always fun," he said, munching on a few kernels of corn. He cleared his throat. "So, have you seen the Mist?"

"Nope. What's it about?" she asked curiously, giving him a rather cute doe-eyed look. He flushed, looking away from the princess, finding his movie rack more interesting.

"It's uh… about these people that get trapped in a supermarket and this thick misty fog starts rolling in. and there are these mosquitoes like creatures hiding in that fog along with some other Lovercraftian type monsters. If you like Silent Hill, you'll definitely like The Mist."

"Then we shall watch it after Silent Hill!" she proclaimed, a grin on her face. He chuckled, turning his attention back to the television.

_**xxx(Flashback Ends)xxx**_

"You didn't fuck her did you?" Sayaka asked, causing the man to sputter.

"What… what the fuck brought that up?" the man cried. She quirked a brow, hand at her hip.

"Really? I know Hiyoko egged you on a lot, but you were a massive skirt chaser in high school. I can name 5 girls aside from Hiyoko and myself that you managed to stake your claim in."

"Ohoho! My man was promiscuous one I take it? I guess boys really do want to stick it in the first thing that movies." Charlotte said jokingly, earning a glare from the man.

"Charlie, I expected that from Shiro, but you? I am ashamed and appalled that you of all people would slander me like this. So much so that I've grown disgusted."

"Oh learn to take a joke you ninny," she said, brushing him off. She shifted her gaze toward the fog, eyes widening slightly when she noticed a new change. "Hey… do you see that?"

"See what?" Mackenzie asked, glancing outside the doors. "The fog is lessening."

"Why do you think that's happening? Do you think whatever was causing the fog is finally starting to dissipate?" the former idol asked. A short laugh caused them to jump, making them look at one of the nearby tables. Mariana had passed out on the floor from drinking, while Riku continued snoozing away on the billiards tables. They noticed Diego was still calmly drinking, having poured a glass of Tequila for himself.

"Diego, what are you still doing here? I thought you had left with Dalila and Seisha?" Charlotte asked curiously. The man shook his head, holding up a single finger.

"Refer to me as Prince, we share this vestige after all."

"Ah right… the Prince of Dim Carcosa." Mackenzie said softly. She shifted her gaze back to him, a firm look on her face. "Why did you laugh?"

"Because all of you are naive," he said, sipping at his drink. "This fog is indeed supernatural in nature, perhaps it is the same kind as the one that Daisuke has described. I have been able to sense these kinds of things for a while now. There is something out there… something big."

"Something." Daisuke murmured, eyes trained on the motel, which had slowly become visible.

"If the fog is lessening, and there is something out there… I'm assuming you have an idea of what it might be?" Haruna asked curiously. Reukra stood nearby, a fearful look on his face.

"Something a lot scarier than those 'infected' that we fought on the roof of Mercy Hospital. Have you not wondered why the ones hosting this little carnival of despair have yet to interact with us? It's been a couple days since leaving that simulation. Yet no one has made contact with us, do you not find it odd?"

"It is true… aside from Kinsei Momota, I've made no contact with anyone else." Sayaka said, turning to her friends. "Do you think this could be part of a motive?"

"No… I don't think so." Daisuke said shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Then how do you explain the fog? The weird shit some of us have been seeing, that fucking spider cat?"

"Look I don't know… but it can't be part of a motive. I can understand Jibo creating and unleashing monsters onto Hora Island. I can understand him shoving us in a simulation, but creating supernatural fog that makes us see shit? That is where I draw the line."

"I never thought zombies were real Dais… but look what happened a few days ago." Mackenzie said, giving him a worried look. "Prince might be right… there might be something out there that is hiding in this fog. And whatever it is, it's probably scared."

"That is correct." the prince said, standing up from his seat. "The fog is becoming lighter, and that isn't a sign of reprieve… it's a sign that something worse is to come. So while you sit here, having your parties and drinking hearty, that monster is gaining ground. Perhaps it would be wise to start making preparations."

With that, the Prince of Dim Carcosa took off, heading towards the motel. The group of five said nothing as they watched him leave, all of them pondering his words. Daisuke remained unmoving, not knowing what to say. He forced a smile onto his face, turning to the others.

"Don't let his warning scare you. We'll start planning our route and leave as soon as we can. I'm against the idea of leaving too early. We've all been exhausted these past few days. I feel like weeks have passed, despite it only being a fortnight."

"I'm not sure sweetie… the Prince seemed rather adamant in what he was saying… maybe we should consider leaving earlier than planned. We decided to stay here for a week… I think heading out tomorrow or the day after might be better." Charlotte said.

"I agree… let us take tomorrow as a day of rest. To not only plan out our course, but also to let the people work off their celebration. The last thing we need to do is force people who are hungover to start marching." Haruna said. Daisuke sighed, giving them a nod.

"You're right… I'll speak with Alice and Diego tomorrow while everyone is resting. We'll plan out everything and start moving toward the military base the day after tomorrow. I think that works."

"Hehe… Daisuke made a pun." Reukra said. They all looked at him, noticing the light flush on his cheeks. "The Day after Tomorrow is a great movie."

"Oh great… who gave him booze?" Sayaka cried out.

"That uh… that was probably my fault. I left a glass of whiskey out and I never finished it." Charlotte said, giving Haruna an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I should have been paying more attention."

"It's fine, it's not like he's blackout drunk. But we should get going, putting him to bed early might help him out."

"I'll get Riku and Mariana out of here too, are you three okay with finishing up in here?" the idol asked, earning a nod from Mackenzie, Charlie and Daisuke.

"We'll take care of it, thanks, Saya." Daisuke said, giving her a pat on the shoulder. She smiled softly, taking a few steps towards Mariana, hoping to wake her up.

The storyteller glanced back at the fog, frowning slightly. Though it had lessened enough to see the buildings around them, he was still worried. The Prince's warning, instead of serving as a warning, only served to make him even more nervous. He decided to busy himself with picking up after the party, if only to ease his own nerves.

* * *

**Location: Karaoke Kaikan (Arcade)**

**Time: 10:00 PM**

**Date: August 14th, 2020**

**(Dank Lemon)**

"Well, that's the last of it!" Charlotte happily said as she tossed the final piece of trash into the garbage. She looked around the arcade, the flashing lights of all the various games served as the only means of illumination. It reminded her of the ones she and her father used to visit whenever they were in the lower 48. Daisuke sighed as he placed the cue sticks back where they belonged, glancing at the woman over his shoulder.

"We should probably get going. I know it's only ten, but the faster we get to sleep, the earlier I get to start planning our next move," he said firmly.

"Aw come on, why not stay here for a bit longer?!" Shiro exclaimed, a grin on her face. She had sobered up in the last few hours, having returned to her chipper mood. Her outfit was slightly wrinkled due to sleeping on a table, but she was still wearing her beaming smile. "There's a shitload of games here, and now that everyone else is asleep, you two can just enjoy yourselves!"

"I know that, believe me, I would love to stick around and play some more arcade games. But things are starting to get serious. I swear, I heard the sound of chains outside the doors earlier." the siren said, shaking slightly.

"See? You are shaking like a leaf, you gotta loosen up a bit sis. You too Dais, in fact I think I know just what you need!" she said, grabbing a hold of his wrist. She pulled him towards one of the nearby lounge chair, pushing the man into it. "You just sit there okay?"

"No Shiro, I can't!" the man snapped. She reached into her pocket for a small spray bottle, spritzing it into the air several times. "What… what the heck is that?"

"Oh this? It's something I call Catnip for humans. Bethany was talking about this special flower that grows in Kuikawa Island earlier. I got Mackenzie to draw it and then had Dalila use her dryad powers to grow one. Those who inhale the sweet scent and pollen become very very happy."

"Very happy? In what sense?" Charlotte asked, not knowing what to say. Shiro replied to her question with a spritz to the face, followed by one for herself. She let out a giggle as she breathed the aroma in.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough."

The Ultimate Executioner flicked her ponytail over her shoulder, as she sat down on Daisuke's lap, much to his surprise. Charlotte sputtered unable to do anything as she watched the girl grind her hips into the man's lap. She started humming a little song, finally clueing her in to what she was doing.

She was giving Daisuke a lapdance, and it was the worst attempt she had ever seen.

Sure, Charlotte herself wasn't an exotic dancer. That was a profession she'd never consider, but she had seen enough movies to know how they worked. Daisuke's cheeks were glowing red as he sat in place, feeling rather uncomfortable. She didn't know why, but she herself was starting to feel a bit hot. The air smelled sweet, and she felt her heart beating harder in her chest. Her eyes widened a bit when she realized what was happening. She was being turned on. That flower spray that Shiro spread was making her…

Lust.

The girl had gotten Dalila to make some weird lust spray and now she was beginning to feel the effects of it. It was clear that Daisuke himself was starting to feel it, by the way that he was trying and failing to keep his legs crossed. After a moment, Shiro decided to go for it, wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his.

Daisuke tried to push her away, but her grip was unbreakable. There was a part of his mind that was screaming for him to push her away. But there was another part of him that liked it. He didn't want to hurt Charlotte, thoughts of her and Nico filled his mind. He felt disgusted that this was happening. He felt like a piece of shit for allowing it to happen. After a minute or so, Shiro released the kiss, frowning in disappointment.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes, the fact that I have a girlfriend and I feel like I'm betraying her and Nico." the man snapped angrily. Shiro visibly recoiled, a brief look of agony flashing onto her face.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking… I just wanted to have a bit of fun."

"Yeah well, your brand of fun is different then the fun that others want to have," he said, briefly glancing at Charlotte, who was panting slightly. Her cheeks were glowing red, along with her upper chest. He could see her nipples poking through her dress. Whatever they had been doing had clearly affected her as well.

He shifted around a bit, feeling something else poking at him. For a moment, he thought that it was his gun. However, his gun was in his messenger bag which was currently next to Charlotte. He could feel his own erection begging to be freed from the confines of his underwear. The thing he felt however wasn't coming from him. It was coming from the young lady that was sitting on his lap. Shiro shifted around a bit, looking back at Daisuke, who had a look of shock on his face. She briefly looked down, seeing something poking at her skirt.

"Oh… it seems the two of you have already met, how fun~"

"You're a guy?!" Daisuke exclaimed.

"Wait what?" Charlotte said softly, a similar look of shock flashing onto her face. She shortened the distance between herself and the executioner. She grabbed a hold of her hand pulling her off of Daisuke's lap, lifting her skirt up, only to reveal the throbbing erection poking from the cutest pair of cotton panties she had ever seen. "Holy shit, that's a huge dick!"

"Dude, what the hell?!" the storyteller shouted. "You've been cosplaying as a girl this entire time?"

"Silly Dais, I wasn't cosplaying. I'm a gyaru, I like dressing up in this cute fashion. I like this kind of style and it makes me feel pretty. I was bullied a lot when I was growing up, I dress like this because my sister taught me how to sew. She's the one who taught me to do my makeup… in a way, it makes me feel like she's here with me." he said softly, a frown on his face. "I feel like a piece of shit now… I shouldn't have sprayed that in your faces. W-we should just go."

"What? And leave us hot and bothered?" Charlotte said, an angry look on her face. "Look, aside from the amazing head I got from Dais last night, I haven't gotten any. So we're going to punish you by forcing you to watch me and Daisuke go at it."

"Huh? But… but that's so unfair!"

"Thems the breaks kiddo, you were the one who thought it was best to lie to us about your gender. Not that I care, hell I'm not even mad about that. I'm angry at the fact that you felt the need to spray that into the air." he replied, brushing his hand through his hair. He heard something fall behind them and quickly turned around, only to see a small fleck of blonde hair poking from behind the door frame. "It seems like we're being watched."

"No… you aren't~ I'm only a ghost~"

"Mackenzie, really?" the siren said, quirking a brow in annoyance. The Ultimate Painter slowly came out from behind the door frame, a flush on her face.

"Wowie! I didn't know Kenzie-poo was such a little voyeur." Shiro said, grinning. "You don't have to be shy about it, come on! My girlfriend deserves to watch me mess around with other people."

"O-okay." she said softly, as she took Shiro's outstretched hand. Daisuke and Charlotte shared a look, both silently pondering when the two even hooked up. "Um, Charlotte… Daisuke, if you two are going to punish Shiro, I think I have an idea."

"P-punish? Kenzie no! Why?" the gyaru cried, feigning a look of betrayal. She turned around, glaring into his eyes, poking her dainty finger into his chest.

"Because you are a little horn dog, that's why. I gave myself to you earlier but you clearly aren't enough, I'm not mad at you. You know that I had a crush on Daisuke too, before I moved on from him. But I don't like that my boyfriend is grinding himself into another man's lap. So I'm going to make you pay for what you've done." she said firmly.

She grabbed a hold of Daisuke's belt, unfastening the buckle. He grabbed a hold of the belt, but she brushed his hands away. "Mackenzie, maybe you shouldn't!"

"No… let her." Charlotte said, smirking. She knelt down before the man, aiding in Mackenzie's quest. It wasn't long before his cock had been freed from its confines. The two girls grabbed a hold of it, interlocking hands as she gave it a soft pump. "Hmm… it seems he's quite excited. Come on Kenzie, let's make this a memorable night."

The two took turns running their tongues over the man's shaft, making him grit his teeth. He briefly looked at Shiro who had a look of hurt on his face. He looked like a wounded puppy, yet there was a spark in his eyes, one that Daisuke didn't really like. He let out a small groan as Mackenzie took his entire length into her mouth. She glanced at Shiro, giving him a small smirk as she swirled her tongue around the storyteller's head.

"This could be you Shiro, but you decided to spray that stuff in the air." the siren said softly, as she rested her hand on Mackenzie's head, aiding in her felacio. "Now you have to sit there and watch."

"Maybe we shouldn't… if you keep pissing him off he's gonna go do something." Daisuke said.

"I am going to do something, I'm gonna sit here and watch while you drill my girlfriend," Shiro said, heading toward the pool table. He hopped onto it, spreading his legs a little as he grabbed a hold of his penis. "Well go on. I want a show and I'm gonna get one."

"Are you sure about that Shiro?" the painter asked, a curious look on her face. "I don't want to hurt you."

"It's fine if it was another guy I would be pissed, but this is Dais were talking about. He's an awesome person and you know I've been crushing on him for a while." he said, rolling his eyes. He started stroking his length, a smirk on his face. "Well, maybe Charlie could give me a hand?"

"I uh… I'm not-"

"It's fine Charlotte. I think we should cut back a bit, some stress relief will do us all good." the man said groaning slightly as Mackenzie continued stroking his dick. She spread her saliva around, making sure it was nice went wet. "Someone seems rather excited at this prospect."

"If we're all set then come on, let's have some fun~" Shiro cried out, pulling out his spray. Charlotte smacked his hand, sending the bottle flying out of the arcade. It clattered across the floor for a few seconds, striking the edge of someone's shoe, but the four of them didn't seem to notice.

"No… none of that flowery bullshit. Now my man has given me permission for this shit, so you better be thankful." the siren said, a small twinkle in her eye. She giggled as she reached for the hem of her shirt, pulling it completely over her head. She wasn't wearing a bra, her entire upper body being exposed. "We'll need to be gentle okay? I don't want my gills to dry out."

"Okay… I'll make sure to take care of you Charlotte, you mean a lot to Daisuke. I want you to be happy." the gyaru said. She rolled her eyes, kneeling down before the young man. She grabbed a hold of his throbbing erection, feeling his warm through the palm of her hand.

"You're a big boy aren't you, I can't believe you are packing this monster inside those cute little panties. I'm gonna make sure this night is extra special for you~" she said, spitting into her hand. She let the saliva pool for a bit before slathering it around Shiro's shaft. The white haired lad panted a bit as she wrapped her bountiful breasts around his cock. She let a bit of drool fall between her breasts as she started pumping his throbbing erection.

"Hah… it feels just like how I imagined. Your boobies are so warm Charlie." Shiro cried, throwing his head back as the woman continued to work the shaft.

"Daisuke, is it okay if we move on?" Mackenzie asked softly, as she looked up at the storyteller. "I have wanted this for a while. I don't know why, but I just need you."

The man nodded, gingerly lifting her off her feet. He placed her onto one of the pool tables, slowly undoing the button of her pants. She slowly started taking off her shirt, revealing more of her lovely pale skin. Her chest was completely free of blemishes, and she was wearing a soft pink bra with floral designs on it. She blushed and looked away, finding the bandages on her arm more interesting. Daisuke had taken her pants off, resting them on the table beside her, having jumped out of his own.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah… I'm sure," she said softly.

"Dick her good Dais! I won't forgive you if you don't!" Shiro said, earning a thumbs up from the man. He slowly laid the girl down on the table, pulling her cotton pink panties down. Mackenzie grew a bit embarrassed when he laid eyes on her precious jewel. Her lips were flushed with pulsing blood, and her entrance was very moist.

She had a bashful look on her face, not wanting to look at the man. The thought of doing something naughty with him was starting to really excite her. She gasped a bit as he felt his head prodding at her, slowly spreading her lips apart. He gave her one final look, a sign that this was the moment to change her mind. She gave him a curt nod, sighing contently when she felt his length fully enter her body.

"Hah… this feels so good~" she moaned, as he slowly worked a rhythm. He lifted her leg up, giving himself a better angle to thrust. He bit his lip, focusing on a great many things, his body was on fire as he kept giving his all to the girl beneath him.

"Muu… this isn't fair… I want some action too." Shiro mumbled, causing Charlotte to frown.

"I would let you… but I'm still a virgin… I want to save myself for Daisuke. He's busy right now so I can't really do anything." she said softly. Shiro giggled, jumping off the table. He undid the zipper of his skirt, shrugging his vest off, staying in his shirt.

"Who said I had to fuck your pussy to get off?" he asked. He grabbed Charlotte's arm, forcing her to bend over the table. He spread her legs apart, pulling her skirt up. He reached into his vest pocket, pulling out a condom, quickly placing it on his length.

"Wait, Shiro what are you doing?"

"I'm claiming your ass of course!" he said, spitting on his hand. He swirled the saliva over his glans, brushing it up against the woman's back entrance. He slowly pressed himself in, causing the woman to moan.

"Oh… it hurts." she cried, clenching her eyes tightly.

"I'll feel better soon, I promise," he said softly, as he continued pushing himself in. It wasn't long before he was fully hilted. He didn't move for a few moments, allowing the girl to get used to the feeling. "So, how does it feel?"

"Like I gotta take a shit."

"Well, it'll feel like that but better! I hope you enjoy yourself!" he said as he started thrusting into her ass. Her groans of pain and discomfort were soon replaced with pleasure, as she felt a strong heat around her rectum.

"Why does it feel so hot?"

"This condom I'm wearing is fire and ice, it feels hot and then it feels cold!"

"Oh~ It feels great… go a little faster would you?"

While the four went at it, the one that had been watching was intently taking notes. He was holding a napkin to his nose, trying and failing to staunch the blood as he rapidly jotted down what he was seeing. He had examined the bottle that Shiro had been holding as well, deciding to shove it into his pocket. He grinned to himself, eyes wide as he took in the entire scene.

"I can definitely use some of this stuff on Haru. I'm not sure about doing it in the butt but if she's up for it, I am definitely going to do it!" Reukra thought excitedly, as he continued hastily writing. He grit his teeth as he saw Daisuke flipping Mackenzie over, she was on her hands and knees, moaning up a storm as she took it from behind. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes sparkling brightly as she focused on the man that was giving it to her. "Doggy style, I knew that one was his favorite!"

"Haaah… I'm gonna cum!" Mackenzie cried, flipping onto her back. Daisuke pulled out of her pussy, continuing to rub her clit furiously. She threw her head back as she hit her climax, squirting all over the man's hand. Reukra hummed to himself as he wrote that down as well.

"Make her squirt… if I do that she'll definitely enjoy it more. This is gonna be hard, but I've built up stamina as a soldier. I can definitely keep it long enough to make her reach that point."

A few minutes passed, the two men had been building their own orgasms, while having given the ladies a couple of their own. It was however time to switch it up. Mackenzie shared a brief kiss with Daisuke, most of her face was red as the thoughts of what she had been doing continued to race through her mind. Daisuke was about to kiss Charlotte when Shiro grabbed a hold of his wrist.

"Uh-uh… I want a bit of you for myself too."

"Um… Shiro, Daisuke isn't into men." the siren said, a worried look on her face.

"It's fine Charlotte, I'm not going to be a prude. Over my years writing stories, I've explored quite a lot of things. I think it's alright, you only live once right? You may as well experience everything you can while you can."

"That's great because I want you to make me cum." the gyaru said, grinning as he stood before the storyteller. The man rolled his eyes, kneeling before him. While nervous, he knew there was no turning back. He was kind of excited to do something like this.

He took Shiro's length into his mouth, making him groan as he swirled his tongue around. He wrapped his hand around his shaft, pumping it as he suckled on his dick, working it as much as possible. Mackenzie and Charlotte just watched on, the thought of two men doing things like that was seriously turning them on. The siren felt Mackenzie's hand slowly making its way to her vagina, and she didn't stop her. She sat at the edge of the Pool Table, allowing the painter to continue playing with her pussy.

"Um… Charlotte, is it okay if I-"

The painter was practically cut off by the siren who shoved her face into her wet twat. She moaned loudly as the younger girl started licking her folds, flicking her clit with her tongue. She slipped a single digit into her pussy, moving it around slowly. "Do you like it?"

"Yes, keep rubbing it like you're doing. It feels so good~"

"Keep going like that Daisuke, I'm almost there," Shiro said between breaths. Daisuke let go of his dick with a soft pop, continuing his ministrations. He tightened his grip on the gyaru's shaft, stroking him as fast as he could. His breath hitched as he was beginning to hit his peak. "Oh god, here it comes."

The man braced for what was about to happen, closing his eyes. He felt several thick globs shooting into his mouth. For a moment he wanted to gag, but the feeling passed once he got a taste of it. It wasn't bitter how he had been assuming, in fact it was rather sweet. He had noticed Shiro had been drinking a lot of pineapple juice throughout the day, making him wonder if he had done it intentionally. He opened his eyes, seeing the panting executioner in front of him, an idea flashed through his mind.

He grabbed a hold his shoulders, placing a kiss on his lips. Shiro excitedly melted into it, not minding the fact that he was being forced to swallow his own load. They continued making out for a moment, with Charlotte's climax pulling them out of it. She had a dazed look on her face as Mackenzie lapped up her juices.

"Haah… that was nice. Now it's your turn Kenzie, I'm going to give you a mind-breaking experience!" she said excitedly. The girl nodded, reaching behind her back to remove the last article of clothing she was wearing. She tossed the bra aside, eagerly kissing the siren, who almost fell back from her excitement.

"Well, if they're still busy, that means that I get to continue with you for a little bit," Daisuke said, chuckling as he dug in his pants pocket. He pulled out a condom, the only one he had brought with him. Tearing the foil with his teeth, he pulled the contraceptive out and rolled it onto his pulsing cock. Shiro eagerly laid down, spreading his legs as the storyteller positioned himself at his entrance.

"Give it to me Daisuke, don't hold back!" he said. The man nodded, pushing himself inside the gyaru's taut asshole. He all but hilted himself, gasping a bit at the tightness around his dick. It was a foreign feeling, and in his opinion, a welcoming one as well. He grabbed a hold of Shiro's growing penis, smirking.

"Hope you have fun," he said, slowly thrusting into the boy. He gave a soft gasp, little squeaks of pleasure leaving his lips with each thrust. Daisuke rubbed his glans, twisting his hand with every stroke, hoping to bring him to his climax.

"Stop, just give it to me!" he cried, slapping the man's hand away from his cock. "Focus on that instead!"

The man shrugged, heeding his request He grabbed a hold of Shiro's waist and thrust into his ass with all of his might. Shiro's nails dug at the plush carpeted floor, screams of ecstasy filling the room. The two girls paused what they were doing, too entranced by what the two men were doing. It was the hottest thing either of them had seen in their lives, an event from which one wouldn't be able to tear their eyes from.

Even Reukra, who had been watching intently, was surprised by what was going on. He had expected Daisuke to claim the two girls in the room. But he hadn't expected to claim another man as well. He didn't know why but he felt even more respect for him.

"Oh God, I'm about to cum again!" Shiro cried as he grabbed a hold of his dick. He started jerking it off as fast as he could, with Mackenzie kneeling in front of it. She practically took it into his mouth as he reached his second climax. Several globs of milky white fluid shot into the back of her throat. She let out a moan as several dribbles dripped from her mouth. There was a generous amount, which she hadn't been able to fully swallow.

Daisuke panted a bit as he slid himself out of Shiro's ass. The gyaru had a glassy eyed look on his face as he stared up at the ceiling. Soft giggles escaped his lips as Mackenzie continued slurping his milk. The storyteller slowly removed his condom, his erection still hard.

"How have you not cum yet? What is your stamina?" Charlotte asked, surprised that the man hadn't orgasmed yet.

"I exercise a lot Charlie, it's a good way to build up stamina." he said hastily. He wrapped his arms around her waist, suckling on her neck. "Now it's your turn, my sweet siren. I've been ignoring you all night, but you know what they say. Save the best for last."

She shuddered as he continued suckling on her neck. She grabbed a hold of his dick, stroking it a bit.

"Um… Dais, before we do anything I want you to know how much I love you. I know we've been together for a short amount of time but… I do genuinely care for you."

"I know you do. Are you sure you want to give me your virginity? I don't want to make you regret it." He said softly, looking into her eyes.

"Seeing as Shiro already claimed my ass, I have no issue with you taking my virginity. You deserve it, my love. As a token of how much I love you… I want you to make me yours. Forever and always." Charlotte said. He nodded sealing the promise with a kiss.

Just like he did on the Titanic, the storyteller was gentle with his princess. He slowly lifted her up onto the pool table, ensuring she was as comfortable as possible. She grabbed a hold of his shirt, pulling him forward. She snagged his lips in a voracious kiss, as she hungrily staked her claim on the man. Brief thoughts of Nico filled her mind, and her body bristled with sadness. She was going to give him twice as much love as she could. From here on out, she was his and his alone. She pulled away from the kiss, not even winded from the exchange. He panted a bit, his face having gone a bit pale.

"No fair… you have… gills."

"Hehe… sorry dear, and thanks for reminding me." she said, reaching for her water bottle. He took hold of it, and slowly started pouring the liquid into her sides, ensuring that they were sufficiently wet. He gave her a smirk, pouring what was left in the bottle onto her vagina, making her squeal in surprise. "Gah… that's cold!"

"Everything's better down where it's wetter. Take it from me," he said softly, causing her to snort. She brought a hand to her lips, holding back her laughter.

"You fucking ass!"

"Hey, I want you to have fun. Those two are going at it, we might as well finish up ourselves right?" he asked, rubbing his penis against her entrance. She let out a gasp, the little tingles of pleasure filling her body.

This was going to be different. On the Titanic, it didn't really matter as it was a VR game. But here, it was nothing more than reality. She never thought she'd be doing something like this so early in life. She figured she'd be married before she did, but life wasn't sugar drops and rainbows. She knew the risks of being in a killing game, and she wanted to enjoy herself. She gave the man a nod, and he pushed himself in without hesitation. He took hold of her hand, slipping his fingers through hers as best as he could.

He didn't bother asking the question when he felt her hymen. Rather he thrust forward, muffling her scream with his lips as he took her virginity. Making her suffer this pain twice was something that he never thought he would do. He continued peppering her cheeks with loving kisses, brushing away the stray tears that came from her eyes. She gave him a smile, sniffling slightly as she cupped his cheek.

"Give it to me, give it to me with the last of your stamina. Make me yours!" the woman exclaimed, a look of pure love on her face.

The man nodded, heeding her request. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her fingernails digging deep into his arms. Daisuke grabbed a hold of one of her breasts as he quickened his thrusting, with each thrust, a soft squelch filled the air, urging him to keep fucking her with intensity. He could feel his mind breaking, his focus solely on pleasing his lover.

His heart was racing, blood pumping through his veins. There was no one else with him, it was just him and Charlotte. He opened his eyes for a moment, gasping a bit when he saw Hiyoko under him. She gave giving him that needy look of hers, a catty grin on her lips as her lovely yellow eyes egged him on.

"Why… why are you here?" he screamed in his mind.

Despite who he was seeing he continued on, he was almost on autopilot as Hiyoko's moans filled his ears. This was wrong, he had moved on. He didn't love Hiyoko anymore. She was dead!

"Fool… even in death the Traditional Dancer plagues your mind. This is why you are weak… you never loved her did you? You wouldn't have agreed to lay with so many women if you had."

"Get out of my head… that isn't true!"

"It's time to let her go. It is clear this woman loves you more than Hiyoko Saionji ever dead. Let her rest… lest you fall to your own foolish emotions. I cannot have the mask of justice breaking because of one deceased woman."

Daisuke growled in anger, glaring at Hiyoko, looking deep into her eyes. "He's right… you are dead to me… leave my thoughts alone. Charlotte is the only woman I'll ever love… you mean nothing to me."

The Traditional Dancer gave him one last giggle, flashing out of his mind. He blinked a few times, finding Charlotte instead of Hiyoko. She was panting hard, a look of pure pleasure and love on her face. Her cheeks were tinged pink, her mouth opening and closing in soft gasps of pair. He could see her gills expanding with every thrust. He mentally nodded, lifting up her left leg, he hugged it tightly as he continued his thrusts.

"Hah… Daisuke, I'm close."

"So am I." he said softly, as he felt a familiar knot in his stomach.

"Then let's keep going." the siren replied. He gave her another kiss, slowing down his thrusts a bit, taking deep long strokes. She hummed in pleasure, taking in as many breaths as she could. He withdrew his length from her warm folds, lifting her off the table, moving toward the lounge seat nearby. She quickly sat on his lap, arms wrapped around his neck.

"I love you Charlotte, when we get out of this island, will you do me the honor of being my wife?" he asked. He was even surprised at his own words. Charlotte's breath hitched, giving him a vigorous nod.

"I will, I will!" she said, sliding his girth between her luscious lips. "I'm going to make you cum, my sweet storyteller." she continued, giving him a kiss on the lips. She grabbed onto his shoulders, bouncing greedily on his dick.

She worked herself into a rhythm, hoping she could use what little stamina she had left to please the man. She was going to give him everything, he deserved it after all that he had done for her. She could feel herself hitting her climax but she didn't stop. She let out a soft moan as her body quivered, but she kept going. A wet splash filled their ears as she bathed their joined sexes with clear fluid.

"That's a stain that's never gonna come out." Daisuke jokingly. Charlotte gave him another kiss, guiding his hands to her ass. He aided in her efforts, hips gyrating with each thrust. He could feel a pleasurable tingle overtaking his dickhead. He was about to explode. "Charlotte, I'm about to cum."

"Do it inside, please. I wanna feel your warmth."

"But… we're not protected."

"It's okay." she said softly, taking his lips once more. The man continued thrusting for a few more seconds before finally giving into his urges. The siren gasped, as she felt his seed shooting deep into her vagina. Her walls hugged him tightly, milking him for every single drop of precious fluid.

The two sat still in their afterglow, with Daisuke hugging the woman as tightly as he could. She rested her head against his head, listening to his furiously beating heart. The man looked around for a brief moment, noticing Shiro and Mackenzie were gone, the two probably having moved to a more private place. Their clothes were still there, so he knew they hadn't left. Charlotte sat up a bit, sliding his member out of her vagina as she looked into his eyes.

"I love you Daisuke.

"I love you too… Sirenita." he replied, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

* * *

**Location: Rocket Punch Market**

**Time: 8:00 AM**

**Date: August 15th, 2020**

"The fog has all but disappeared, though some of it lingers. I think it would be the perfect time for us to leave." Daisuke said, as he looked at the rest of the group. Diego and Alice stood at either of his sides, the two of them looking worried.

"You want to leave? Why? This place has everything we could ever want. We have food in this supermarket, sleeping arrangements in the nearby motel, clothes and a source of entertainment in the Karaoke Bar." Riku said, a look of anger on his face. "Why the hell do we have to leave?"

"Because dumb ass, it isn't safe here." Rebecca snapped, causing the neko to reel back. "I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a lot of weird shit that's hiding in this fog. Not to mention, I've been hearing the sounds of chains scraping the ground for a few days now, since we arrived in fact. I dunno what the fuck is causing it, but it's scaring the shit out of me."

"Not to mention the weird creatures that are lingering here. That damn cat for example." Charlotte added, a frown on her face. "I know it sucks that we have to leave such comforts behind, but for the sake of survival, we must."

"I agree. The last thing we need is to fall victim to whatever shit is hiding in that fog. It seems way too supernatural for it not to be caused by Jibo." Sayaka added. A soft chuckle filled their ears, as everyone rapidly turned around, spotting none other than Saino Terazawa, accompanied by Surrashakuma, who had a grin plastered on her face.

"What's Gucci peeps? It's been a couple of days since we've last seen each other. Man you all look bushed, thought you could hide from me?" the animatronic bear cried, laughing loudly. "Fat chance!"

"I take it the old man sent you?" Diego queried, sizing up Saino. This was the first time he had seen her up close. She was a rather beautiful woman, if he cared to admit. Perfect porcelain skin, a beautiful face with vibrant emerald eyes, soft silver hair that fell down to her shoulders, she was quite the looker. She pushed her glasses up her nose, looking at everyone gathered in the market.

"I would like to formally introduce myself to you once more, Subjects of Hora Island. My name is Saino Terazawa. I am a researcher under the employment of JIbo Momota. It is with his guidance that I created the serum that turned most if not all of you into the beings you are today."

"The serum… wait… are you the reason why I'm a fucking fire goddess now?" Bethany screamed, her skin slowly turning red. "I ought to burn you where you stand, you bitch!"

"Feel free to do so. Just remember, if Surrashakuma or I are harmed, then you shall die, and your friends will not be spared from the creatures that are on this island. Kinsei controls most of them, however, the one that tends to most of their needs is me. Now then, be good little subjects and pay attention to what I'm about to say."

"Fantastic." Miyaki snapped, crossing her arms as she glared at the scientist. "You're here with another motive right? Didn't you get your sick kicks from the last one? Wasn't a simulation good enough?"

"That simulation allowed me to study your mental behaviors and other quirks. I got quite a decent supply of blood from each of you as well. You are all quite healthy, especially you Subject A119. You are quite the specimen, being able to go toe to toe with Nicholas as well as a horde of zombies is no easy feet." she said, a hint of admiration in her voice. "I'd like to study you more if you'd allow me."

"Fuck off." Mariana spat, brushing some of her hair over her shoulder. "You're the reason my stupid ass can turn into a dragon now. Not to mention it was you who turned Ashton into a tree, Jose into a demon, and Charlie into a fucking fish. So if you could take your motive and shove it up your cunt, I'd really appreciate it."

"I see." the woman said, deflating slightly. She shifted her gaze towards the rest of the group, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "It just occurred to me… none of you have been cashing your Silver tickets."

"That's because we don't want them. Look at what happened on the Titanic, those damn golden tickets got people killed." Reukra snapped.

"Pfft… as if that even mattered. At the end of the day, it was Miyacunt's daddy who killed your mom, it had nothing to do with a golden ticket." Lars said, holding back a laugh.

"I swear to God, I am going to strangle you if you don't-"

"Lay a hand on him and I will end your life." Andrea said, drawing her blade. Dalila backed away slightly, a glare on her face.

"You harm my bride to be and I will end your sorry existence, demon." Diego, or rather the Prince, said firmly. "I will not allow you to lay a finger upon ma cheri. So feel free to try it."

"Well I see you are as lively as ever! It's gonna be a good week, a good week I tell ya!" Surrashakuma cried.

"You are lucky that I can't lay a finger on you. I want nothing more than to rip your heart out right now." Nyx snapped angrily, glaring at the bear, who tipped her hat back, challenging the halfling to try. Alice pulled her back, shaking her head.

"Don't… the last thing you want to do is get yourself killed luv. Let's not bother with these bellends. Their motive is meant to destroy our friendships even more, we need to work together as a team in order to prevail."

"Yes, Alice has an excellent point," Saino said, regaining their attention. "I wish to study various things about each and every one of you. We've already tested your will to live, as well as the effects of your minds when certain memories are suppressed. Not to mention the data gathered from the Neo World Program has shed light on the stress levels of those who think delusions are in fact reality. However, I have yet to test one key aspect of each of you."

"A key aspect?" Seisha asked, tilting his head curiously. "What's a key aspect?"

"Something that we all have. A key aspect is something that everyone has within their personalities." Daisuke said, hoping the samebito understood. He just nodded, looking back at Saino.

"What key aspect do you want to test, Miss Saino?"

"It's quite simple… what's your deepest darkest fear?" the woman asked. The samebito said nothing, bowing his head.

"Drowning."

"Why would you answer her?" Kanemoto cried out, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't give her the satisfaction Sei! She just wants to take information from all of us!"

"Take? Why would I take what I already possess?" she asked, showing off the tablet she was holding. "I have detailed files on each and every one of you. I shall continue. The key aspect that I shall be testing is indeed your fears. This fog is quite special… with a single thought, one can make it disappear, or reappear with ease. You, however, do not have that ability."

"Then who does so I can shoot em?" Shiro cried out. "The last thing I want is for my fucking fears to be exposed!"

"This fog's special ability is one you've already seen in action." Saino continued, ignoring Shiro's outburst. "Those chains you've been hearing… they belong to a monster that loves punishing those that wish to be punished. One of you here blames themselves for the death of a loved one, and it seems like this creature has come to collect."

"Someone who blames himself for the death of their loved one?" Mackenzie asked curiously.

"Ah jeez, way to go Riku." Bethany snapped angrily.

"Why the fuck is it my fault?" the Neko exclaimed.

"You're the only one here who's been blaming themselves for the death of their loved one." Haruna said firmly. "You've been quite vocal about it as well."

"Heh… this is what he needs." Shiro said, shrugging. "I mean, he fell head over heels for a murderer, I still call bullshit on the whole four day romance thing. Like seriously, at least the ones who have hooked up on this island have had time to get to know each other. Who falls for a person on a ship? Especially when you had no interest in them beforehand?"

"Why don't you shut your mouth you fucking whore?"

"What are you doing to do about it, fuckboi?" the gyaru said, giving him a smirk. "You ain't shit, and you know it."

Riku's hand snapped forward so fast no one even registered its movement. A loud slap echoed through the store, causing everyone to gasp. The Neko glared angrily at the executioner, grabbing a handful of her shirt. "I am sick of your shit, I don't fucking care if you are a girl or not. I fucking hate you."

"Hehehehehe… you shouldn't have done that buddy," she replied, grinning. She grabbed ahold of Riku's wrist, squeezing it tightly. The man yelped as he let go of her shirt, allowing her to throw a punch directly at his gut. With a sweep of her leg, she threw the man over her shoulder, slamming him onto the ground with all of her strength. "I watched a lot of YouTube videos when I was bored, so I've learned a thing or two about self-defense. Not to mention this is how I dealt with bullies who went too far. Don't fuck with me, got it Mr. Kitty Kitty?"

"My my my, you are an intriguing bunch. Whatever the case may be, your motive has been issued. The fog will persist over this city until a murder occurs. You have until tomorrow morning before the fog once again grows thick. You don't want to be caught within this fog, and just as a fair warning, you aren't the only ones left in this city. There are more dangerous people than just minotaurs or infected. Have fun."

"I'm here to issue a counter motive, funny right? Here I am yearning for your deaths but I am issuing a motive to stop it. Heh… whatever. The counter motive is simple. Today is August 15th, 2020. If you all make it to August 20th without killing anyone, you not only get out of this city, but the collective group gets to leave Hora Island!"

"Leave Hora Island?" Reukra asked curiously. "We… we get to leave? Like for real?"

"Yep! That's totally correct, while we don't have a serum to return you to your former selves, you will be able to leave!"

"Something isn't adding up," Sayaka said, narrowing her eyes. "I don't know much about you in particular, but I do know quite a lot about you Kuma's. What exactly are you planning?"

"Who me? I'm not planning anything dear. I'm just looking out for all of you, believe me! If I wanted to hurt you, I would have killed you all by now. However, if you all live, then Jibo doesn't get what he wants. That's exactly what I want. He doesn't know about this, hell even Saino is keeping this between us. She has quite an interest in all of you."

"So, to reiterate… the challenge involving the fog is the one that Jibo wanted to issue to us. However, the counter motive Surrashakuma is issuing is your own? What's your angle?" Dalila asked curiously. Saino shrugged, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"I fear that Jibo is squandering all of you. Already we've lost quite a few of you, I myself wish to see what you are all capable of. Should you make it past August 19th and into August 20th, you shall all be taken elsewhere. There is a place that has become available."

"Tch… you just want to put us in a killing game of your design." Kanemoto snapped, glaring at the woman.

"Perhaps, but at least you are free of this island and its dangers. You are free to ponder this choice, of course, this is all for naught. I'm sure one of you will succumb to your fears and commit murder. Don't fuck it up." she said, swiftly taking her leave. Surrashakuma gave them a bow, joining the woman as the two disappeared from the store.

"What do you make of this?" Alice asked, glancing at Diego and Daisuke.

"I'm not sure we should trust her, it's clear that she wants to put us in her own killing game," Daisuke asked.

"Indeed, however, there is a chance that she may let us go. She seems to be mostly interested in Mariana. Perhaps if she does what the woman asks, she'll be more lenient." Diego replied.

"Whatever the case may be, it's time to pack up. We don't have long before the fog comes back, we need to put as much distance between us and this plaza as possible."

"Yes, I fear we might be facing some true monsters in the coming days. I shall pray to Atua so he keeps watching over us."

"There she goes again, praying to that false deity."

"You might not believe Lars, but at least she has faith. Which is more than we have for someone like you. So keep your damn mouth shut." Mariana hissed angrily.

Daisuke sighed, rubbing his eyes. The coming days were going to be troubling. He could already tell. Despite the fog having dissipated enough to see the brilliant sun's rays, he knew that it would come back. The sounds of chains echoed through the distance, making him shiver in fear. Maybe it was time to revisit his faith.

_**xxx(End of Act 8)xxx**_

**Surviving Subjects 18**

**AN: Like I said last chapter guys, this is going to be the last post I make in Isle for a while, so I hope you all like this chapter. See you all soon!  
**


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